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This is a realistic depiction of Napoleon crossing the Alps (by Delaroche):
Compare it with the most famous depiction (by David):
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Crossing_the_Alps
Arthur George, 3rd Earl of Onslow, who had a large Napoleonic collection, was visiting the Louvre with Paul Delaroche in 1848 and commented on the implausibility and theatricality of David's painting. He commissioned Delaroche to produce a more accurate version which featured Napoleon on a mule. While Delaroche's painting is more realistic than the symbolic heroic representation of David, it was not meant to be demeaning - Delaroche admired Bonaparte and thought that the achievement was not diminished by depicting it in a realistic fashion.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Delaroche#Later_works_and_the_close_of_his_career
After 1837, Delaroche stopped exhibiting his work altogether. The disappointing public reception of his painting, St. Cecilia, along with his overall rejection of Davidian values in French society and government led him to his “self-imposed exile from the government-sponsored Salons.”
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Compare it with the most famous depiction (by David):
=====
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Crossing_the_Alps
Arthur George, 3rd Earl of Onslow, who had a large Napoleonic collection, was visiting the Louvre with Paul Delaroche in 1848 and commented on the implausibility and theatricality of David's painting. He commissioned Delaroche to produce a more accurate version which featured Napoleon on a mule. While Delaroche's painting is more realistic than the symbolic heroic representation of David, it was not meant to be demeaning - Delaroche admired Bonaparte and thought that the achievement was not diminished by depicting it in a realistic fashion.
=====
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Delaroche#Later_works_and_the_close_of_his_career
After 1837, Delaroche stopped exhibiting his work altogether. The disappointing public reception of his painting, St. Cecilia, along with his overall rejection of Davidian values in French society and government led him to his “self-imposed exile from the government-sponsored Salons.”
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