Hand in the vest

David's Napoléon dans son cabinet de travail (1812)

The hand in the vest is a popular gesture found in many paintings by statesmen and important figures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it is mainly associated with Napoleon Bonaparte . The gesture underwent a “change in meaning from ethical to political rhetoric”, particularly through Napoleon. Since ancient times , the gesture has been considered a symbol of general moral virtue. The famous rhetorician Aeschines thought it was impolite to speak with gesticulating hands outside of the toga . Through Napoleon the gesture became a political symbol of the stylization of a ruler as controlled and prudent, in contrast to the iconography of earlier absolutist rulers with slightly spread arms.

literature

Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke , Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbook of political iconography , Verlag CH Beck , Munich 2011

Web links

Commons : Hand in the vest - collection of images, videos and audio files

Short, richly illustrated article on the Textile Stories blog

Individual evidence

^ Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke, Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbuch der Politik Ikonographie , Verlag CH Beck , Munich 2011, p. 457
↑ Tom Holmberg: Why is Napoleon depicted with his hand in his coat? . The Napoleon Series. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
↑ Dmitri Zakharine : Face to Face: The Change in Direct Communication in the Eastern and Western European Modern Times , UVK Verlagsgesellschaft , Konstanz 2005, p. 184 ff.

[1] Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke, Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbuch der Politik Ikonographie , Verlag CH Beck , Munich 2011, p. 457

[2] Tom Holmberg: Why is Napoleon depicted with his hand in his coat? . The Napoleon Series. Retrieved August 26, 2008.

[3] Dmitri Zakharine : Face to Face: The Change in Direct Communication in the Eastern and Western European Modern Times , UVK Verlagsgesellschaft , Konstanz 2005, p. 184 ff.