1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge
painting by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier
1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge (French: 1805, Les Cuirassiers avant la charge), also known as Cuirassiers of 1805, before battle or 1805, is an 1878 painting by Ernest Meissonier depicting a line of Napoleonic cuirassiers before making a cavalry charge. It is on display at the Musée Condé, in Chantilly.
Description
This painting depicts a scene set in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Two rows of cuirassiers await the signal to charge, with five non-commissioned officers in front of them also ready. They are wearing the distinctly coloured uniforms of the 12th Cuirassier Regiment. On the left, a Division General in a tail-coat and distinctive gold and scarlet sash is pointing, while addressing a cuirassier officer, probably the Colonel of the 12th Regiment. Behind them stands a trumpeter in yellow, an aide-de-camp to the Division General in a hussar-style uniform, and two more cuirassiers. On the right, a group of artillerymen are moving in front of a row of houses. In the far distance, on a hill between the second and third non-commissioned officer from the right, Napoleon can be seen and his chief of staff.
Meissonier's intention was not to depict a specific battle, but rather a celebration of the cuirassiers of the First French Empire.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge” as painting by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as painting by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15973110. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1805 and 1878.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge primary sources, 1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge archive and Cuirassiers research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “1805, Cuirassiers Before the Charge” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.