On December 2, 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French in Notre-Dame and then crowned his wife Josephine. David, his official painter, shows the second moment, with Pope Pius VII seated behind them, looking on.

The canvas is enormous, about ten meters wide, with more than a hundred figures, most of them real people. Look in the gallery at the back: Napoleon’s mother sits in the place of honor, although in reality she stayed away from the ceremony.