Watercolor on ivory, two groups of three portraits, each with "David / 1810" signature and date to recto, both sets uniformly framed in neoclassical style oval brass mounts behind glass; the first of Napoléon Bonaparte to center, flanked by military leaders Joachim Murat and Michel (Marshal) Ney; the second of Empress Josephine to center, accompanied by Thérésa Cabarrus (Madame Tallien) and Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantès.

Frame dimensions 9 1/4 x 16 1/4 in.

From the Collection of the late Sterling Boyd, Raleigh, North Carolina
Sterling Boyd was a consummate collector and Southern gentleman. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, he studied art history at Sewanee: The University of the South, Oberlin College, and received his doctorate from Princeton University. He shared his enthusiasm for the fine arts through positions at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Boyd also taught and mentored future art historians at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and later headed the art department at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Following his academic and museum careers, Sterling Boyd channeled his talents for interior design and decoration. His Raleigh apartment was a cabinet of curiosities, each item carefully collected from his world travels and perfectly placed in his jewel box of a home.

Napoleon portrait with vertical crack to left side. some wear to frames; not examined out of the frames.