Artwork
Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Élisabeth Blavot, born 1810)
Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Élisabeth Blavot, born 1810) is an oil painting by the Neoclassicist artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. It dates from 1831 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A woman in profile, her hair pulled into a smooth bun, wears a high-necked dress with lace at the collar against a plain ground. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres let the light catch her cheek and ear so they glow while the rest falls into shadow, blending the skin and hair with soft strokes in 1831.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait, executed by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1831, depicts Madame Edmond Cavé (born Marie-Élisabeth Blavot) as a young woman.
The portrait, executed by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1831, depicts Madame Edmond Cavé (born Marie-Élisabeth Blavot) as a young woman. The composition emphasizes a refined facial expression and delicate drapery, characteristic of Ingres's neoclassical style, while the sitter's attire signals contemporary bourgeois respectability. As a painted likeness, the work functions both as a record of the sitter's social identity and as an idealized representation of femininity in early-to-mid-nineteenth-century France. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, underscoring its recognized cultural significance.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1831, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 40.6 by 32.7 centimetres, presenting a compact format typical of intimate likenesses from the period. Stylistically, the composition emphasizes the linear clarity and precise draftsmanship characteristic of the artist's approach to portraiture.
The medium allows for the smooth modeling of the figure against the background, adhering to the Neoclassical aesthetic priorities of the creator. While specific details regarding the current surface condition or technical handling of the brushwork are not explicitly detailed in the available records, the fundamental material construction remains defined by the combination of oil pigments and woven fabric.
History & Provenance
Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Élisabeth Blavot, born 1810) is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is listed in the museum's collection records. The painting, executed by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1831, is catalogued as an oil on canvas portrait measuring 40.6 × 32.7 cm. No specific accession number is disclosed in the available documentation, and the work's exhibition record is not detailed in the sources consulted. The piece remains part of the museum's permanent holdings.
Overview
This oil painting by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, completed in 1831, presents a profile view of Madame Edmond Cavé, born Marie-Élisabeth Blavot. The work is a notable example of Ingres's portraiture, focusing on the refined depiction of its subject. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ascendant Romantic…
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