Madame Moitessier
1851
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was notoriously perfectionist, taking seven years to complete this stunning portrait of Madame Moitessier. She sits regally in a luxurious black velvet gown, adorned with pearls and gold jewelry, against a backdrop of rich purple wallpaper that was actually a real pattern fashionable in Paris at the time. Ingres based her pose on an ancient Roman fresco from Herculaneum, giving her that timeless, statuesque quality. Interestingly, he originally planned to include a mirror reflection showing her profile, but eventually scrapped that idea for this direct, commanding gaze.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
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