This is Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of Fallen French Heroes by Anne-Louis Girodet. Painted in 1805, it’s an homage to the literature-infused cult of Ossian, the mythical narrator of a cycle of poems by the Scottish writer James Macpherson. Perhaps it’s easier to think of it as “propaganda?” Regardless, it’s a very unique painting. And, if I remember my art history correctly, Napoleon wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. - RH
