Curatorial Narrative The Portrait of Joachim Napolon Murat, King of Naples and of the two Sicilies by Franois Grard is a masterful exemplar of Neoclassical portraiture, crafted with precision and nuance in 1867. Grard’s technique is characterized by fine brushwork, which imbues the subject with an air of elegance and refinement. The artist’s use of a limited palette, consisting predominantly of red, gold, white, blue, and black, serves to emphasize the nobility and dignity of his sitter, while also conjuring a sense of atmospheric weight that draws the viewer into the painting.As this painting is enlarged to 44×64 inches, its spatial rhythm becomes more pronounced, with the subject’s receding forms and ornate furnishings creating a sense of depth and luminosity. The chromatic structure, dominated by the rich tones of red and gold, exerts a commanding influence over the surrounding environment, its atmospheric weight imbuing the spac