The Duke of Bordeaux presented to the people and the army by the Duchess of Berry in the presence of the king, surrounded by the royal family and the main figures of the State

The work is an oil painting on canvas measuring 138 cm in height and 195.5 cm in width, created by Charles Nicolas Lafond in 1821. It was executed for the Salon of 1822 and depicts a formal court scene rendered in the academic history‑painting style typical of early‑19th‑century French art. The composition emphasizes precise figure modeling, chiaroscuro lighting, and a restrained palette that conveys the ceremonial gravity of the Duchess of Berry presenting the Duke of Bordeaux before the royal family and assembled dignitaries.

Created by Charles-Nicolas Lafond in 1821, this oil-on-canvas history painting depicts the presentation of the Duke of Bordeaux to the French court following the birth of the heir in 1820. The work was exhibited at the Salon of 1822, marking its public debut shortly after its completion. It currently resides in the collection of the Museum of the History of France, located within the Palace of Versailles. The painting measures 138 cm in height and 195.5 cm in width.

The painting is housed in the collection of the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles. Its accession number is not specified in the sources. It was exhibited at the Salon of 1822, marking its first public presentation.

Charles-Nicolas Lafond's 1821 history painting serves as a visual chronicle of the Bourbon restoration, capturing the birth of the Duke of Bordeaux as a dynastic miracle following the 1820 assassination of the Duke of Berry. By depicting the Duchess of Berry presenting her son to King Louis XVIII and the court, the work functions as political propaganda intended to secure the succession of the House of Bourbon. The composition includes prominent figures such as Talleyrand and the future Charles X, while a portrait of the deceased Duke of Berry by François Gérard hangs in the background, linking the new heir to his martyred father.

Exhibited at the Salon of 1822, the painting now resides in the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles. Its significance is underscored by the subsequent overthrow of the monarchy in the July Revolution of 1830, which rendered the depicted succession moot and sent the Duke of Bordeaux into exile. The work remains a key document of the era's royal iconography.

The painting was first shown publicly at the Salon of 1822, where it reached a wide Parisian audience shortly after the events it depicts. It is now held in the collection of the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles, a placement that has helped secure its place within the canonical visual record of the Bourbon Restoration. The work's subject matter, the presentation of the young Duke of Bordeaux as heir to the throne, gives it lasting historical resonance, since the Bourbon line was overthrown in the July Revolution of 1830 and the duke spent most of his life in exile.

It is frequently discussed alongside Alexandre Menjaud's 1824 painting The Death of the Duke of Berry, the two works together forming a pair of Restoration-era commemorations of the assassinated duke and his family.

Charles‑Nicolas Lafond’s 1821 oil on canvas records a ceremonial introduction at the French court. The widowed Duchess of Berry presents her infant son, the Duke of Bordeaux, before the king, the royal family and leading officials, capturing the moment of public acknowledgment.