Portrait De Madame Duvaucey 

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres painted this oil on canvas portrait of Madame Duvaucey in France, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. The cool detachment of her gaze, the trappings of wealth and status, all speak to the ascendency of the bourgeoisie after the French Revolution. Ingres was a product of the French academy, the institution that set the standards for art in France. He saw himself as a defender of these traditions, at a time when many artists were starting to challenge them. So what does it mean to paint a portrait of a member of the new social class, in the style of the old masters? As art historians, we can look to many sources to help us understand the painting. We can find out about Ingres' career at the academy, about Madame Duvaucey and her place in French society. It is in these social and institutional contexts that the painting gains its richest meaning.