It depicts a scene on the 13 November 1805 during the
War of the Third Coalition when the
French Emperor Napoleon was presented the keys to the city of
Vienna at
Schönbrunn Palace by the city's mayor
Stephan von Wohlleben. Also shown in the scene are the French
Marshals
Jean-Baptiste Bessières,
Louis-Alexandre Berthier,
Joachim Murat as well as
Géraud Duroc and
Roustam Raza. The scene is watched also by commoners, including women and two children that are climbing at a nearby tree. A few weeks later Napoleon would win his decisive victory at the
Battle of Austerlitz. It was the first commission that Girodet received from the authorities during the
Napoleonic era. It was commissioned to hang in the
Tuileries Palace in
Paris. It was exhibited at the
Salon of 1808 at the
Louvre. Today it is in the collection of the
Palace of Versailles. ==References==