This painting depicts a scene set in 1805 during the
Napoleonic Wars. Two rows of
cuirassiers await the signal to charge, with five
non-commissioned officers in front of them also ready. They are wearing the distinctly coloured uniforms of the
12th Cuirassier Regiment. On the left, a
Division General in a tail-coat and distinctive gold and scarlet sash is pointing, while addressing a cuirassier officer, probably the
Colonel of the 12th Regiment. Behind them stands a trumpeter in yellow, an
aide-de-camp to the Division General in a
hussar-style uniform, and two more cuirassiers. On the right, a group of artillerymen are moving in front of a row of houses. In the far distance, on a hill between the second and third non-commissioned officer from the right,
Napoleon can be seen and his chief of staff. Meissonier's intention was not to depict a specific battle, but rather a celebration of the cuirassiers of the
First French Empire. ==Provenance==