Comtesse de la Rochefoucauld and Comtesse de la Valette, Ladies-in-Waiting to the Empress Josephine; verso: Faint Sketch of Four Imperial Princesses: Caroline, Pauline, and Elisa Bonaparte, and Julie Clary 1805 - 1806

Editor: This delicate pencil sketch by Jacques-Louis David depicts the Comtesse de la Rochefoucauld and Comtesse de la Valette. The gridded lines suggest a preparatory study, but what can you tell me about David's process and the social context of these women's roles? Curator: Notice how the material – pencil on paper – makes this more accessible than a finished oil painting. We see the labor, the artist's hand, at work. These women, ladies-in-waiting, were part of the Empress Josephine's social and political network. David is capturing them, not as powerful figures themselves, but as cogs in the machine of the Empire. Editor: So the sketch reveals more about the power dynamics and the artist's process than a finished portrait might? Curator: Exactly. It's not just about aesthetic representation, but about the material conditions of production and the social functions the artwork served. Editor: I never thought about it that way; focusing on the materials really opens up a new perspective.