Elisa Bonaparte and Her Daughter
by BENVENUTI, Pietro, Oil on canvas
Elisa Bonaparte was the sister of Napoleon. She arrived on the grand-ducal throne in 1809, after two years of occupation by the Napoleonic troops. Pietro Benvenuti was appointed court painter by Elisa and then called upon in 1813 to run the Academy of Fine Arts.
In this portrait the grand duchess is gesturing toward a bust of Napoleon in the guise of the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar. In the background, the city of Florence with the Duomo and Giotto’s bell tower can be seen.