Artwork
Eugenie Simon
Eugenie Simon is a watercolor painting by the Romanticist artist Louis Antoine Collas. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the genre of portraiture, depicting a single female sitter in a small-scale format measuring roughly 7.
Eugenie Simon is a portrait of a woman rendered in watercolor on ivory, a miniature format associated with intimate, personal likenesses in the early nineteenth century. The work belongs to the genre of portraiture, depicting a single female sitter in a small-scale format measuring roughly 7.9 by 6.3 centimeters. Such ivory miniatures were typically commissioned as keepsakes or tokens of affection, emphasizing the individuality and presence of the subject rather than narrative or allegorical content.
The painting's classification within the portrait genre and its focus on a woman as the sole depicted figure underscore its function as a personal likeness rather than a symbolic or historical composition.
Technique & Style
Eugenie Simon is a small-format portrait executed in watercolor on ivory, a support traditionally favored for miniature likenesses in the early nineteenth century. The work measures 7.9 cm in height by 6.3 cm in width, a scale consistent with portrait miniatures intended for intimate, handheld viewing. Painted by Louis Antoine Collas in 1827, the piece belongs to the genre of portraiture depicting a woman.
The combination of translucent watercolor pigment applied over the smooth, luminous surface of ivory allowed for delicate modeling and fine detail characteristic of the miniature tradition. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, classified within The American Wing.
History & Provenance
Created in 1827, this watercolor portrait on ivory was executed by the artist Louis Antoine Collas and depicts a woman identified as Eugenie Simon. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within The American Wing. Its dimensions measure 7.9 cm in height by 6.3 cm in width, matching the specifications recorded in the museum's catalog.
The piece has not been documented as part of any temporary exhibition, and no accession number is provided in the available sources.
Overview
Louis Antoine Collas, a French painter who later worked in the United States, created Eugenie Simon in 1827. This watercolor on ivory is a representative example of his specialization in miniature portraiture. The artwork depicts a woman, rendered with the delicate precision characteristic of Collas's oeuvre, which he exhibited in both European and American art institutions.
Context
Louis Antoine Collas was a notable practitioner of miniature painting, a popular art form in the early 19th century. His career spanned both sides of the Atlantic, with exhibitions at the esteemed Paris Salon and various American academies. Eugenie Simon reflects his consistent artistic output, demonstrating his proficiency in capturing individual likenesses within the intimate scale of a miniature.
Artist & collection
Artist
Louis Antoine Collas (Bordeaux, 1775 - Bordeaux, 1856) was a portrait and miniature painter from France.
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