Ingres's portrait of Napoleon is a beatification in paint. Enthroned, swathed in imperial robes, holding sceptres of authority, and framed by a halo of carved decoration, the youthful Napoleon is presented like a Roman emperor. Throughout his life, Ingres was an assiduous student of the history of art, and even in this early stage of his career (age 26 when this was completed), he turned to the past for information and inspiration. To help with the creation of his Napoleon, he studied Roman art, Byzantine ivories depicting emperors, and medieval manuscripts.