This rare porcelain plaque produced at the Sèvres manufactory and depicting the Battle of Marengo was painted by the French battle painter Jacques-Françios-José Swebach in 1803. Glorification of the might of France, the personality of Napoleon and his victories was a characteristic feature of the Empire style. The Battle of Marengo, the decisive encounter of the Franco-Austrian War, took place on 14 June 1800 close to Alessandria in Italy. The French forces commanded by Consul Bonaparte smashed the army of the Austrian field marshal Baron von Melas, despite the latter's numerical superiority of nearly two to one (45,000 against 23,000). The victories at Marengo and Hohenlinden forced the Austrians to accept the conditions of the Treaty of Lunéville that marked an unprecedented strengthening of Napoleon's position at home and abroad. After the fall of the Empire, Swebach, the creator of this painting, was invited to enter Russian service and from 1815 he worked at the Imperial Porcelain Factory.