Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780 - 1867)Comtesse d'Haussonville, 1845 oil on canvas 51 7/8 in.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780 - 1867) Comtesse d'Haussonville, 1845 oil on canvas 51 7/8 in. x 36 ¼ in. (131.76 cm x 92.08 cm) Purchased by The Frick Collection, 1927 Accession number: 1927.1.81 Louise, Princesse de Broglie (1818–82) and granddaughter of Madame de Staël, married at the age of eighteen. Her husband was a diplomat, writer, and member of the French Academy, and she herself published a number of books, including biographies of Robert Emmet and Byron. For her time and her elevated social caste, she was outspokenly independent and liberal. This portrait, begun in 1842, was the fruit of several false starts and a great many preparatory drawings, including full-scale studies of the raised left arm, the head, and its reflection. According to a letter written by the artist, the finished work “aroused a storm of approval among her family and friends.” Ingres appears to have surprised the young lady in the intimacy of her boudoir, where she leans against an upholstered fireplace, having just discarded her evening wrap and opera glasses. -- source link