Artwork
Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904)
Henri Fantin-Latour (1836–1904) is an oil painting by Carolus-Duran. It dates from 1861 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
His dark hair curls around his forehead, and his collar is white with a hint of blue.
This painting shows a man’s face and shoulders from the side, lit from above. His dark hair curls around his forehead, and his collar is white with a hint of blue. The background is almost all black, making his features stand out sharply.
The artist signed it in the top corner: "Carolus-Duran, 1861." The way light and shadow separate his face is very precise.
Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this technique works in other paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays the young Henri Fantin-Latour, then a twenty-five-year-old painter, rendered in a three-quarter pose. His attire, a dark coat and white shirt, signifies bourgeois respectability, while the plain background directs attention to his facial features and the modeling of his hands. The portrait lacks allegorical symbols; its meaning derives from the sitter's direct representation as an emerging talent.
Carolus-Duran, himself a young artist and contemporary of Fantin-Latour, executed the portrait in oil on canvas in 1861, and the image functions both as a personal likeness and as a record of the sitter's professional aspirations.
Technique & Style
The 1861 portrait of Henri Fantin-Latour by Carolus-Duran is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 45.7 cm in height and 37.8 cm in width, presenting a formal depiction of the sitter. While the specific handling of the brushwork and current condition are not detailed in the available records, the medium and support are consistent with mid-nineteenth-century portraiture.
The composition focuses on the main subject, and the piece is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
The 1861 oil portrait by Carolus-Duran, catalogued within the portrait genre, depicts the young Henri Fantin-Latour and measures 45.7 × 37.8 cm. The two were young contemporaries within the French art world of the 1860s. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it stands as a representative example of mid-century portraiture and is cited to illustrate Fantin-Latour's early career and his integration into the professional networks of his era.
Overview
Carolus-Duran's 1861 oil portrait, titled Henri Fantin-Latour, captures the likeness of the eponymous French painter. Executed in oil paint, this work is a significant early piece by Carolus-Duran, showcasing his developing style. The painting is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it represents a moment in 19th-century French portraiture.
History & Provenance
The artwork bears the artist's signature, "Carolus-Duran, 1861," prominently placed in the upper corner, confirming its authorship and precise year of creation. This inscription provides direct evidence of the painting's origin. As an early work by Carolus-Duran, it offers insight into his artistic development before he became a highly sought-after portraitist.
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