There are at least two copies of this portrait of the handsomely endowed Caroline and her children, one at Versailles and the other at Fontainebleau. One son wound up in Florida, the other, briefly, New Jersey. When the family business goes bust and your competitors really want you out of the way, you have to go somewhere. All her older son needed to do was tuck his hand into his vest.
Vesuvio, the grey cone with the top lopped off at an angle, is smoking in the background.
Caroline is a bit more plainly dressed in this 1808 Gérard portrait than in her 1807 Vigée-Lebrun portrait.
Keywords: 1808, Gérard, Caroline Bonaparte-Murat, Bonaparte family, Queen, curly coiffure, tiara, hair jewelry, square neckline, modesty piece, puffed cap sleeves, waist band, Empire waistline, close skirt, over-skirt, train, necklace, earrings, brooch, clasps, shoes