Charles VIII de France franchissant les Alpes pendant la guerre d’Italie de 1494-1495

This illustration by Alphonse de Neuville, made around 1880, depicts Charles VIII of France crossing the Alps during the Italian War of 1494-1495. The scene shows a marching column in a snowy mountain landscape: horsemen, men on foot, horses, and artillery pieces struggle forward along a narrow path, highlighting the material constraints of a military expedition across Alpine passes. The image emphasizes less the battle itself than the logistical effort, the harshness of the terrain, and the determination of the royal army on campaign. It refers to the opening of the Italian Wars, a major moment when the French monarchy projected its power beyond the Alps and became durably involved in the affairs of the peninsula. Produced several centuries after the events, the work belongs to the nineteenth-century tradition of historical reconstruction and contributes to a dramatic and epic vision of the beginnings of French expansion into Italy.