The Plague-Stricken of Jaffa – Antoine-Jean Gros (1804)

🖼️ The Plague Victims of Jaffa – Antoine-Jean Gros (1804)
Hand-painted reproduction – By Alpha Reproduction

Heroism in the face of the plague: Antoine-Jean Gros immortalizes Bonaparte in a scene of courage and medical propaganda

Presented at the Salon of 1804, The Plague Victims of Jaffa is one of the most famous paintings of French neoclassical painting, commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to glorify his image as a courageous and humane leader.
Signed by Antoine-Jean Gros, a student of David, this work combines large-scale historical format, political symbolism, and dramatic power, in a vision that is both documentary and theatrical of the Egyptian campaign.

A striking scene, between misery, grandeur, and sacred light

Napoleon visiting the sick, touching the plague victims like a thaumaturge king

In the center, Bonaparte, draped in a golden cloak, reaches out his hand to a seated plague victim, bare-chested, marked by the disease.
Around him, sick or dying soldiers move about or lie in painful postures. A doctor masks his face, while a bodyguard tries to hold back the general, illustrating the risk of the gesture.

The background shows the interior of an oriental hospital, lit by pointed arches, with rays of light falling on Napoleon, emphasizing the heroic and almost divine dimension of the character.

The palette is rich and contrasted :
– Golds and deep blues for Bonaparte,
– Dark reds and cadaverous grays for the sick,
– Greens and browns in the shadows,
– White and gold keys creating theatrical light effects, typical of Gros's style.

An imperial propaganda work, but also a turning point towards Romanticism

With The Plague-Stricken of Jaffa, Gros mixes the rigor of neoclassicism with a freer pictorial emotion, marking the transition to romanticism.
The painting is both a political tool (glorifying Bonaparte), a historical document (inspired by real events in 1799), and a masterpiece of bodily and dramatic expression.

"To show Napoleon not as a conqueror, but as a healer of the people: that is the purpose of this painting."
– Antoine-Jean Gros (interpretation inspired by his remarks)

Hand-painted reproduction – By Alpha Reproduction

A masterful historical fresco, recreated with fidelity and intensity

At Alpha Reproduction, Les Pestiférés de Jaffa is entirely hand-painted in oil on canvas, with extreme care given to:

• The restitution of Bonaparte's central gesture, noble and composed

• The contrast between the sick bodies and the imperial figure

• The work of lights, between sacred and realistic

• The richness of drapes, textures, and expressions

• The monumental composition, balanced and narrative

📜 Certificate of authenticity provided
📐 Customizable formats – stretched or rolled canvas
🖼️ Golden Empire frame, black wood gallery or classic museum frame on request

An ideal painting for enthusiasts of Napoleonic history, Neoclassical art, and committed painting

The Plague Carriers of Jaffa is perfect for a collection room, a historic office, a cultural venue, or a room dedicated to military and political art. It combines visual power, dramatic narrative, and heroic symbolism.

Order today your reproduction of Les Pestiférés de Jaffa (1804) – Antoine-Jean Gros

With this hand-painted reproduction, you bring into your home a historic, theatrical, and deeply human work, which places art at the service of power and collective memory.
At Alpha Reproduction, each painting is recreated with artisanal excellence, stylistic fidelity, and respect for the original detail.

🎨 Oil on canvas – 🖌️ Hand-painted – 📦 International shipping guaranteed

Order now a powerful, historic, and grandiose work.