Portrait of Empress JoséphineFrançois Gérard

This portrait (c. 1805) captures Joséphine de Beauharnais with regal poise, seated on an Empire-style sofa. It hangs in her drawing room at Malmaison, a space designed for sociability and reflection. The room’s striped silk walls and refined décor reflect Joséphine’s taste for neoclassical elegance and her role as a cultural trendsetter