De Cossé-Brissac, Chamberlain to Madame Mère 1805 - 1824

Editor: Here we have Jacques-Louis David's sketch, "De Cossé-Brissac, Chamberlain to Madame Mère." It looks like a preparatory drawing, made with graphite on paper. What can you tell me about the process of creating a sketch like this, especially considering David's social context? Curator: Well, the grid underneath and the quickness of the line suggest it's a study. David was a leading portraitist, and his workshop would have relied heavily on studies like this. It reveals a lot about the labor involved in producing those finished portraits, and makes us think about the relationship between the artist, his subject, and the market for portraiture at the time. How does seeing this sketch change your understanding of David's larger, finished works? Editor: It makes me appreciate the planning and labor behind them more. Thanks for pointing that out!