Napoleon idealized heroes in ten bas-reliefs decorating the crypt of his tomb in the Invalides, almost seem from the Roman or Greek era with the chlamys and the chitôns. The bas-relief of public works is my favorite, the Emperor wears the crown of laurels triumphant overhung by a radiant crown reminiscent of the emblem of the Sun King or the Statue of Liberty. The treatment of the body and face its treatise in classic idealistic ways, but looking more closely we notice the more realistic creases in the navel and neck that one would not find in Greek or Roman bas-reliefs.
