Bivouac at Molodechno, 3-4 December 1812: an episode from Napoleon's Retreat from Russia
1816
unspecified
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
1816
unspecified
From the collection of Rijksmuseum
You see French soldiers huddled around a small fire in deep snow. Some stand in long lines, others crouch under a makeshift shelter of reeds. A man holds a pig’s head near the flames. Horses wait on the right. This painting shows Napoleon’s army retreating from Russia in 1812. The pig’s head is strange—maybe the artist added it to show how desperate the soldiers were, or just to make the scene feel more real. No one knows who painted it, but it was made only four years after the event. To see more scenes like this, visit the Rijksmuseum.
