Check!

The artist’s grandfather, the engraving artist Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet ( French: Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet ), with whom he studied young Wieber and with whom he was extremely close, created a large number of patriotic works glorifying the emperor in the time of Napoleon ^{[1] [2]} . But Wiber himself was a convinced Republican. Weber painted several paintings on the theme of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, which was very popular in 19th-century French art. In the artist's works, latent irony is easily noticeable in relation to Bonaparte, both in painting and in Viber's literary works. His article, accompanied by an image created by the artist himself, “The Monastery Under the Arms”, was placed in The Century Magazine ^[3] . The painting “Apotheosis of Theirs” by the artist (was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1878) presents several scenes from the life of Napoleon during the empire ^[1] .

The artist was an anticlerical , in his paintings he sometimes with gentle humor , and sometimes satirically ridicules the everyday life of the clergy, far from worries about the Kingdom of Heaven. He portrays the wealth and secular amusement of the cardinals, their naivety and ignorance ^[4] . Sometimes a game of chess is presented ^{[5] [6]} .

The date of creation of the picture "Shah!" Is unknown. The size of the picture is 29 by 38 1/2 inches (73.66 by 97.79 centimeters ). Technique - oil on wood. Currently, the painting is in the collection of the Haggin Museum ( Eng. The Haggin Museum ) in Stockton , California , USA ^[1] .

The picture shows:

• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Napoleon’s uncle is Cardinal Joseph Fesch , the uterine brother of Napoleon’s mother, who was elevated to the cardinals with his assistance and received the chair of the Archbishop of Lyons ^[1] .

After coming to power, Napoleon decided to turn the Catholic Church into his support. With his help, Fesch made a dizzying career in the church hierarchy. He was also a very wealthy man. Since July 31, 1802 he is the Archbishop of Lyon . In 1803, Fesch received the rank of cardinal and the post of French ambassador to the Vatican . Fesch in 1804 married Napoleon and Josephine Beauharnais on the eve of their coronation . In 1810, he again married Napoleon, this time with the Austrian Archduke Maria Louise of Habsburg . After the proclamation of the empire, he became earl, senator, and head of spiritual welfare funds. In the Bonaparte family, Fesch was considered the chief financial adviser. Appointments to administrative posts in the homeland (in Corsica) did not go without the blessing of the emperor's uncle. In 1808-1809, his relationship with Napoleon deteriorated sharply. When Napoleon liquidated the Papal Region in 1809 and arrested and held Papa VII in protest against the Roman pope in France, Fesch refused to take the place of Archbishop of Paris in protest. To condemn the pope in 1811, a cathedral of the Gallican church was assembled in Paris , Cardinal Fesch was appointed to chair it. Fesch (contrary to Napoleon's expectations) showed obstinacy and sided with the pope. This caused the wrath of Napoleon, Fesh was sent to Lyon and until 1814 was in disgrace. Napoleon also intercepted a letter sent by Cardinal to Pope Pius VII ^[7] .

In the picture, Viber combines his two favorite themes - the irony of the secular way of life of the higher clergy and the episodes of the life of the emperor of France. A carpet made from the skin of a polar bear adds a note of aggression to the chess party of opponents, but may also refer to the Russian campaign of Napoleon in 1812. Fesh in the picture smugly brings a pinch of tobacco to his nose. Art historians believe that he made a move that puts Napoleon in a difficult position on a chessboard ( check ). The painting of Viber, depicting Napoleon I and the baby king of Rome, also shows a hidden confrontation between uncle and nephew. The emperor in the picture "Shah!" Thought not only about the chess position. Uncle, taking the side of the pope, intervened in the affairs of France (in the artist's view, he put him in check in life). Now the nephew must make a responsible decision ^[1] .

As usual in his canvases, Viber is in detail accurate in relation to history. He is supposed to have studied the portraits of both characters and reproduces their costumes accurately, down to the smallest detail, for example, the features of the Legion of Honor they wear. He portrayed Napoleon in a luxurious bedroom in the Fontainebleau Palace with great attention to the smallest details, including genuine symbols that were there during the Empire and no longer existed in the era of the artist - a golden letter “N” on the wall, laurel wreaths and olive branches. It is believed that Viber with his painting shows the futility of power and the intervention of the church in political affairs ^[1] .

Napoleon played chess in his youth - in a military school and in the "Cafe de la Regency" , in adulthood - in secular salons (and sometimes on the ship during swimming and in between battles). Usually Bonaparte carried chess with him - they accompanied him during an expedition in Egypt , during a military campaign in Russia, during his stay in the Duchy of Warsaw , in exile on Elba Island , on St. Helena Island off the coast of Africa. His frequent partners were Marshals Joachim Murat and Louis-Alexander Bertier , South-Bernard Mare, Duke of Bassano and General Henri-Gasien Bertrand . Contemporaries noted that Napoleon played extremely fast, not particularly straining, giving complete freedom of thought. When the opponent thought for a long time, the emperor became irritated. Losing, Napoleon was angry and did not hide his resentment ^{[8] [9] [10]} .

• Chess in painting

• Checkc. Undated by Vibert, Jehan-Georges (1840-1902 ) . The Haggin Museum. Date of appeal October 13, 2016.