Duke Ferdinand-Philippe of Orleans, as St. Ferdinand of Castile 1842

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres painted Duke Ferdinand-Philippe of Orleans as St. Ferdinand of Castile. The artwork uses a medieval style that is very striking, with its formal qualities evoking both regal authority and spiritual grace. Ingres constructs the figure within a carefully designed, vertically oriented composition, framed by decorative archways, filled with patterns that create rhythm and depth, reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts. Note how Ingres has chosen to portray the Duke with symbols of earthly power – crown, sword, and orb – while the halo suggests a divine blessing. The painting operates as a sign, where each object and color carries coded meanings. In this way, the Duke is not merely portrayed; he is elevated, transformed into an emblem of idealized kingship. The painting offers an exercise in power and visual rhetoric. It challenges conventional notions of representation, and invites us to question the interplay between surface appearance and underlying ideologies. The painting remains a powerful statement on the constructed nature of identity and authority.