68 - the Wife
04 september 2005
Mme. Moitessier
Madame Moitessier 1856
Oil on canvas, 120 x 92 cm
National Gallery, London
Signed and dated: J. Jngres 1856 / AET LXXVI. Inscribed: Me, INÈS MOITESSIER / NÉE DE FOUCAULD
Marie-Clotilde-Inès de Foucauld was born in 1821 and married Sigisbert Moitessier, a wealthy banker, in 1842. The portrait is influenced by the art of antiquity and the Renaissance. The pose, with the hand touching the cheek, is derived from an ancient Roman fresco of a goddess, from Herculaneum. This may suggest that for Ingres Madam Moitessier represented the ideal of classical beauty.
When first asked by Moitessier in 1844 to paint his wife, Ingres refused. On meeting her he was struck by her beauty and agreed. The picture was left unfinished and after seven years the sitter complained. In 1851, Ingres painted a standing portrait (National Gallery of Art, Washington) before returning to the seated portrait which he finally completed in 1856. The original intention had been to include the sitter's daughter Catherine, but she had grown up by the time Ingres came to complete the portrait.
Posted by willy at 12:20 pm to 68 - the Wife | Sexual and Gender Entities | Comments (0)