The Unicorn Found

In this satire, British artist and political cartoonist William Heath portrays the French emperor Napoleon saddled upon a mythical creature that combines the heraldic lion and unicorn from Great Britain’s Coat of Arms, representing the ruler’s aspirations for domination of Europe. Created during the final years of the Napoleonic Wars, Heath depicts a tattered French flag and titles his work Alexander, for Alexander the Great, alluding to the folly of great conquerors throughout history and Napoleon’s probable demise at the hands of his own ambition.