Artwork
Portrait of Louis XVIII
Portrait of Louis XVIII is an unspecified painting by Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin. It dates from 1822 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Jean‑Baptiste Jacques Augustin’s 1822 oil portrait presents the former French monarch Louis XVIII.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a miniature, the object likely served a personal or diplomatic purpose, allowing the monarch's image to be circulated or kept in close proximity.
The work depicts Louis XVIII, the King of France, rendered as a portrait miniature by Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin in 1822. Created in France during the Bourbon Restoration, the piece functions as a formal royal likeness intended to project monarchical authority. As a miniature, the object likely served a personal or diplomatic purpose, allowing the monarch's image to be circulated or kept in close proximity.
The representation focuses on the physical presence of the king, establishing his identity through the conventions of early 19th-century French court portraiture.
Technique & Style
Created in 1822 by Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin, this work is a portrait miniature executed in France. The painting measures 4.9 cm in height and 3.9 cm in width, reflecting the intimate scale characteristic of the genre. While specific pigments or support materials are not detailed in the available records, the piece is classified as a painting and held within the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The small dimensions necessitate a high degree of precision in handling and application, typical of Augustin's approach to miniature portraiture during the early nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of Louis XVIII was created by the French miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin in 1822, produced in France as a portrait miniature. The work, classified as a painting, measures 4.9 by 3.9 cm. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1940.1201. No further details of commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
The sources do not specify who commissioned the portrait, the circumstances of its creation, or the chain of ownership prior to its entry into the Cleveland Museum of Art, so those aspects of the provenance remain unrecorded here.
The Portrait of Louis XVIII is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, listed under inventory number 1940.1201. It was created in 1822 in France. The work has been featured in exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art, including a 1940 exhibition of French portrait miniatures and a 2019 display of European portrait miniatures.
Overview
Jean‑Baptiste Jacques Augustin’s 1822 oil portrait presents the former French monarch Louis XVIII. The work is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, where it is displayed among the museum’s European paintings. The composition centers the king against a muted gray backdrop, emphasizing his dignified bearing.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin
Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin (1759–1832) was a French artist, born in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.
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