Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1761–1835)

The portrait titled Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1761–1835) was executed in 1804 by baron François Gérard using oil on canvas (1). It measures 225.7 × 164.8 cm and depicts the sitter Catherine Grand (2). The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been displayed as part of the exhibition The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions, underscoring its integration into the museum’s holdings (2).

Its creation history is anchored to the early nineteenth‑century French portrait tradition, with the work dated precisely to the year 1804 (1).

Created in 1804 by François Gérard, the portrait of Catherine Grand, known as Madame de Talleyrand, stands as a significant example of Neoclassical portraiture within the artist's oeuvre. The work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recognized for its depiction of the sitter in the early nineteenth century. Its inclusion in the exhibition 'The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions' underscores its status as a key acquisition and a representative piece of the museum's holdings.

As a large-scale oil on canvas measuring 225.7 by 164.8 centimeters, the painting reflects Gérard's prominence in French portraiture during the Napoleonic era, capturing the subject with the formal dignity characteristic of the period's elite portraiture.

François Gérard completed this oil portrait of Catherine Grand, also known as Madame Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord, in 1804. The work exemplifies the refined aesthetic of the Neoclassical period, showcasing Gérard's skill in depicting prominent individuals. It is currently housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a key example of early 19th-century French portraiture.