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Title: (As in the S.H.A.T.
Catalogue) Bataille de Lodi Title: (As in the Liste Chronologique des Tableaux, 1901, P. 13) Lodi (Passage du pont de) |
| Author: Bacler
d'Albe, Louis-Albert-Ghislain baron
Execution Date: 1797 Dimensions: 65.5cm x 43cm |
Archive:
S.H.A.T. Catalogue Number: B160 Material/Technique: watercolour |
Text on Image: Passage du pont de Lodi par l'Armée française, 10 mai 1796. |
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Description/Comments: After the capture of Fombio and the battle at Codogno, Napoleon sought once again to engage Beaulieu’s main army. But Beaulieu once again withdrew across a river, this time the Adda River at the town of Lodi. In order to pursue and engage Beaulieu, Napoleon, who had once again gathered the full strength of his army of Italy, had to take both the town of Lodi and cross the bridge. The Austrians had set up cannon on the opposite shore covering the bridge. Napoleon had his troops, led by the grenadiers rush the bridge. They were pushed back at the mid-point of the bridge by a combination of cannon fire and gunfire. The second assault was led by Dallemagne, Massena, Berthier and Cervoni and succeeded in crossing the bridge. Once over, the second assault established itself on the river’s edge and fired on the Austrian gunners, which allowed another column to storm the bridge. This is the moment of action in Bacler d’Albe’s painting. The gouache is a masterpiece of military art. It is set at the crucial moment of action and both captures the general scene admirably and allows the reader to explore a series of simultaneous drama’s. In the far lower right of the painting a group of French cannoniers are reloading amidst the carnage of fellow cannoniers hit by both cannon and gunfire. In the lower middle point of the painting a soldier is balancing himself against the body of a cavalry officer who has been shot together with his horse and narrowly misses being hit by a cannon ball. In the lower left hand corner, Napoleon, astride an agitated horse, gesticulates toward the action and addresses his general staff. Many of the faces of the general staff are clear and close enough to be recognizable. In the far left hand corner of the painting the soldiers are seen marching in formation between the buildings toward the bridge. In the middle of the painting is the scene of the bridge of Lodi. Partly damaged by cannon fire, with bodies in various stages of life or death dropping or being pushed into the water by charging soldiers and horses, it is the scene of courage, determination, and carnage. On the far shore, the soldiers proceed along the beach and toward the houses on that side of the river in the face of heavy fire from cannon and the streets and houses of the town. Toward the top of the painting, across two thirds of the width of the painting, the French cavalry is making its way across the river, north of Lodi to attack the Austrians on their right flank. Here Bacler d’Albe has captured the pathos and insane heroism of war (all the more insane as, as is clear both in this image and in Bagetti’s pen and ink wash, the river was fordable and hence the taking of the bridge may well have been unnecessary). But he has also depicted the beauty of the scene: the fast flowing water, the lush vegetation, the bright sunny day with puffy cumulus clouds, and the birds winging their way toward Lodi. It is worth comparing this depiction of the battle of Lodi with that of Bagetti. Bacler d'Albe was a military man fascinated by war and its depiction in both cartographic and landscape form. He worked closely with Napoleon, ultimately as his personal cartographer and as a strategic advisor. His knowledge of the operation would have far surpassed that of Bagetti and even of Martinel. His love for the subject certainly surpassed Bagetti’s. |
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