La bataille de Jéna ou la mort du duc de Brunswick XIXème

This powerful 19th-century engraving by Carle Vernet depicts one of the most decisive episodes of the Napoleonic Wars: the Battle of Jena (1806), where Napoleon’s army crushed the Prussian forces and shattered the old military order of Europe. The scene focuses on the dramatic moment traditionally associated with the mortal wounding of the Duke of Brunswick, commander-in-chief of the Prussian army, who would die shortly afterward from injuries sustained during the campaign.

Vernet constructs the composition as both a battlefield panorama and a heroic narrative. At the right, mounted officers surge forward, their plumed helmets, rearing horses, and sweeping gestures embodying the momentum of Napoleonic warfare. At the left, the fallen and wounded gather around artillery, forming a dark counterpoint of human cost and chaos. The diagonal movement of cavalry across the image drives the eye through smoke, shattered terrain, and distant formations, evoking the violence and scale of early modern war.

Stylistically, the engraving reflects the great French tradition of historical battle imagery, blending documentary ambition with theatrical staging. Vernet, renowned for his equestrian scenes and military subjects, brings exceptional precision to uniforms, harnesses, and weaponry, while animating the figures with dramatic tension. Horses rear, soldiers gesture, and clouds churn overhead, creating a visual rhythm that heightens the sense of immediacy and disorder.

Beyond its narrative content, the print functions as a work of political memory. The Battle of Jena marked a turning point that confirmed Napoleon’s dominance over continental Europe. By monumentalizing this event, Vernet participates in the construction of a heroic Napoleonic myth, where individual sacrifice and imperial destiny are woven into a single image.

Today, this engraving stands as both a historical document and a work of Romantic-era imagination: a vivid testament to how 19th-century artists transformed contemporary warfare into grand visual history, balancing realism, drama, and national narrative within a single monumental composition.

Engraving

Military

Engraved by J. J. Wolff

Good condition, some soiling, one tear