General Jean-Louis Reynier was a career army officer in the service of Napoleon Bonaparte during both the Directory and the Empire. His military record was prodigious, having served in seventeen campaigns in at least six countries over a period of twenty years. He is depicted in this portrait by Gérard at the Battle of the Pyramids in which he played a major role in a stunning victory in 1798. ... He is seen wearing several medals and a sword, an honorable man, who served his country faithfully. He is depicted in this half-length portrait in an oval frame. His military uniform is decked out with epaulettes, a high collar, and a sword. The sword is unusual in that it is a shamshir or pala, which was the typical weapon of the Mamelukes. He may have carried it as a trophy of the War of the Pyramids. A large, star-shaped medal on his right chest is the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor; two smaller medals on the left represent an officer's cross of the Legion of Honor and a medal of military merit.

from Snite Museum of Art, Face to Face (Notre Dame, 2003)