Del Prado Horse Grenadier, 1810: The Heavy Cavalry Without a Cuirass
The bearskin, dark horse and blue coat convey weight without a shining breastplate. This Guard cavalryman is a reminder that heavy cavalry was not defined by armour alone.
Del Prado 10th Hussars Corporal, 1815: The News Before the Battle
The red headgear and braided blue coat make this hussar conspicuous. His regiment’s Waterloo story offers something less obvious than a charge: the importance of bringing back the right news.
Del Prado Marshal Ney, 1812: A Reputation Forged in the Rearguard
Ney lifts his hat above a pale horse, an open gesture in a portrait associated with one of the army’s hardest years. The 1812 date turns a marshal’s likeness into a story of endurance.
Del Prado 5th Cuirassier: Armour, Momentum and the Limits of a Charge
The rearing horse and shining breastplate make an immediate impression. The more interesting story lies behind the spectacle: heavy cavalry depended on control and cohesion as much as courage.
Del Prado Guard Gendarme, 1813: Security at the Centre of an Empire
The sword and bearskin suggest battlefield prestige, but this guardsman also points to an essential, less glamorous duty: protecting headquarters, movements and the person of the ruler.
Del Prado Guard Chasseur, 1809: The Green Uniform Beside the Emperor
A dark green coat, bright red accents and fur headgear give this mounted guardsman a distinctive silhouette. His uniform belongs to the cavalry corps whose dress Napoleon himself made familiar.
Del Prado Wellington, 1812: The Opportunity at Salamanca
The plain coat and quiet grey horse make a restrained portrait of Wellington. The 1812 date points toward Salamanca, where he showed that patience could prepare the way for a sudden attack.
Del Prado Portuguese Cavalry Trumpeter: A Voice in an Allied Army
The trumpet and pale horse make this rider stand apart from a row of cavalrymen. His Portuguese identity matters just as much: the Peninsular army was never exclusively British.
Del Prado General Montbrun: A Cavalryman’s Rise Through the Ranks
The forward-pointing sword and moving horse make Montbrun a forceful mounted portrait. His career supplies an equally direct story: a cavalryman who rose from the ranks to command a corps.
Del Prado Joachim Murat: A Cavalry Commander Who Became a King
Murat’s spectacular clothing can overshadow the complicated career beneath it. This mounted portrait represents a cavalry leader who rose to a throne—and eventually tried to preserve that throne by breaking with Napoleon.