Maria-Laetizia Bonaparte, Madame Mère 1805 - 1824

Curator: Here we see a sketch by Jacques-Louis David, entitled Maria-Laetizia Bonaparte, Madame Mère, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks so fragile! The paper, the delicate lines...she seems both powerful and vulnerable. Curator: Indeed, the image presents Napoleon's mother. The throne she sits upon certainly signals power, but her face has a kind of melancholic weariness. Editor: The way David rendered her dress, seemingly classical in style, gives the whole composition a strong air of social performance, of course reliant on dressmakers and textile merchants. Curator: And this image has become an enduring symbol of motherhood, authority, and endurance. Editor: I am drawn back to the materiality of the work—the quality of the paper, the graphite… such simple means for such a powerful evocation. Curator: Yes, and it reminds us of the staying power of seemingly simple images and the complex stories they carry. Editor: A testament to the ability of humble materials to convey profound historical narratives.