Portrait of Pope Pius VII (1805)

Jacques-Louis David: Portrait of Pope Pius VII

This portrait of Pius VII (1742-1823; became Pope in March 1800) was done by Jacques-Louis David as a thank-you present to the Pope for assisting in Napoleon's coronation as emperor in 1804. Pius is seated on a red velvet chair embroidered in gold. He has a peaceful expression and wears a white zucchetto, a white rochet or tunic (of which only the sleeves can be seen), a red velvet pelerine-type camail with ermine cuffs and a red stole with gold embroidery. Pius's arms rest on the chair's arms and his right hand holds a paper on which is written in Latin Pio VII Bonarium Artium Patron (Pius VII, Patron of the Fine Arts). [More about the painting from Wikipedia (from which the preceding is also lifted)]

Although this painting (and others) present Pius as a friend of France, in fact relations were often difficult: despite his presence at Napoleon's coronation, Pius was often at odds with the emperor over territorial issues.