François Pascal Simon Gérard presents a scene of devotion and affection with this family portrait. The Duchesse stands at the center of the work, surrounded by her children in the park of their country estate at Maisons near Paris. Gérard portrays the matriarch not only as a devoted mother but also as a great beauty. Her delicate features and classical stature are mirrored by her five children. The Duchesse’s position in the center of the composition emphasizes her role as the center of the family group.
This painting has all the hallmarks of Gérard’s style, including the highly finished surface, the brilliantly rendered textures, the classically balanced composition, and the slightly idealized characterization of his subjects. The tall figure of the Duchesse dominates the pyramidal composition, with the children grouped around her in a natural manner. Gérard rendered each child as an individual, providing explicit detail of their costume and toys. The park of Maisons, vividly rendered, serves as a grandiose backdrop for this elegant family. Gérard is best known for his formal portraits in the neoclassical style. However, his portraits were not the typical stiff and lifeless depictions seen in “official” portraits but rather tender, lively characterizations. This painting stands out among Gérard’s works as virtually unrivaled in size, scale, and quality.
The young daughter, looking a bit older than her eight years, clings to her mother's side, while the four boys, all dressed in suits modeled on military uniforms, range in age from ten to thirteen. The family is missing their father, Jean Lannes, the first Duke of Montebello, one of Napoleon's greatest generals. The monumental statue to the far left of the work is a clue to the whereabouts of the father. Jean Lannes was killed in battle in 1810, four years before his widow commissioned this portrait from Baron Gérard, the leading portraitist at the French court. This magnificent portrait makes its first impression with its great size, and the figures are nearly life-sized. He has carefully and subtly grouped the family in a pyramid, formed by the mother at its apex and the children beneath the statue of their departed father, creating a funerary monument as a respectful homage to a lost hero. Notice how the older son looks upward towards the symbolic statue as a way to direct the viewer’s attention.
Jean Lannes was mortally wounded by an Austrian cannonball, which we see included in the statue at the foot of the figure as a symbol of his death, and his martyrdom to the cause. His loving and devoted wife kept her place at court and was universally praised for her modesty and beauty. But the death of Jean Lannes changed everything. After the loss of his devoted general, Napoleon's wars passed from defeat to defeat, from Russia to Waterloo. In 1814, the year this portrait was painted, Napoleon was sent into exile and the Duchesse de Montebello quietly withdrew to her estate. The Duchesse chose to record the moment in this portrait and also to make a statement about her family's new life. They are far from the pomp and majesty of the imperial court that Gérard was famous for painting. They wear their military fortunes on their sleeves in the boys' suits, but the wars are over, to be remembered as a statue in a park.