Artwork
Nicolas Louis Faret and Madame Nicolas Louis Faret
Nicolas Louis Faret and Madame Nicolas Louis Faret is an unspecified painting by the French Romanticist artist Martin Drolling. It dates from 1812 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created in 1812 by French artist Martin Drölling, this oil painting presents a married couple in a modest interior.
- Accession no.
- 2011.71
- Credit line
- Bequest of Dr. Paul J. Vignos Jr.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1812 by French artist Martin Drölling, this oil painting presents a married couple in a modest interior. The work exemplifies the French Romantic tendency toward intimate, emotionally resonant portraiture. It is part of the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed among other early‑19th‑century European pieces.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas features the husband, dressed in a dark coat and white cravat, standing to the left, while his wife occupies the right side in a green gown trimmed with lace. Their poised, forward‑looking gazes suggest a quiet confidence and mutual regard, reflecting the domestic ideals of the period and the social status of a respectable bourgeois couple.
Technique & Style
Drölling employs a subdued chiaroscuro, allowing the soft illumination to caress the subjects’ faces and create a gentle glow against the plain, dark backdrop. The delicate rendering of the woman’s curled hair and the texture of the fabrics demonstrates the artist’s skill in capturing material qualities while maintaining a restrained, Romantic sensibility.
History & Provenance
Martin Drölling, active at the turn of the 19th century, was known for portraiture and genre scenes and fathered two artists, including painter Louise‑Adéone Drölling. The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the mid‑20th century, where it has remained a representative example of French Romantic portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Martin Drolling, or Drolling the Elder (Oberhergheim, 19 September 1752 – Paris, 16 April 1817), was a French painter.
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