Ingres believed that portraiture was a less elevated art form than history painting, which is very unfortunate, because he is considered to be one of the major portrait painters of the 19th century. Madame Moitessier is one of his greatest works. Characteristically, Ingres found inspiration in the art of the past when painting this portrait. The pose with a hand touching the cheek was taken from a fresco of Hercules and Telephus from Herculaneum. A painting by Titian, Portrait of a Lady, may have inspired the profile in the mirror.
Madame Moitessier
oil on canvas • 120 × 92 cm
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Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres