These grand portraits of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, executed in the renowned studio of Franz Xaver Winterhalter, epitomize the grandeur and authority of France’s Second Empire. Symbolizing splendor and strength, Napoleon III used his official portrait as the most important way to publicly solidify his role as the just ruler of France. He chose Franz Xaver Winterhalter, the preeminent painter of the European courts, to render his and his wife Eugénie's portraits. First unveiled at