History and power
Kings, emperors and revolutionaries have always used images to display their power and tell their version of history. From the palettes of the pharaohs and the coronation of Napoleon to the funeral procession of Charles XII and the Terracotta Army, history painting shows how power is staged.
- Pharaohs, lawgivers and emperors
- Medieval chronicles in thread and gold
- Renaissance princes in profile and on horseback
- The Sun King, queens and the spectacle of absolutism
- History painting: from Wolfe to Napoleon
- Nordic history painting: Charles XII, Visby and Vasa
- China: emperors, terracotta soldiers and envoys
- Japan: the warlords’ castles and the emperor’s photograph
- The 20th century: murals, propaganda and contested monuments