Lot Essay
Ingres executed this portrait of Joseph (1831-1893), the only son of Charles and Louise Marcotte to whom this drawing is dedicated while recuperating at his friends' country house in Chauconin, called Le Poncelet, a few weeks after the death of his first wife in 1849.
In this study which, according to H. Naef (op. cit., 1958, p. 342), 'ranks among the most beautiful works of Ingres' late period', Joseph, aged eighteen, is represented as a sportsman with rifle and dog, a rare theme in Ingres' oeuvre. The sitter's love of shooting is documented by a letter written by the painter Brascassat to Charles Marcotte: 'Joseph sans doute après le plaisir de la campagne et de la chasse voudra bien essayer de manier le crayon et je crois qu'il le maniera aussi bien que le fusil' (Ternois, op. cit., 1999, p. 25).
At the age of 32, Joseph married Paule Aguillon who bore him four children. Joseph seems to have lived a quiet life, relying on his considerable inherited wealth, as the announcement of his death makes no mention of any professional or business activity.
This drawing also provides a rare insight into Ingres' working method. It is still wrapped around its original cardboard. Ingres generally used prepared tablets for his portraits, purchased from an art supply house, much as an artist today might use pre-stretched canvas of a standard size. It conferred to the paper a smooth and resilient surface, allowing a livelier response to the draughtsman's touch. Such a structure also gave the drawing far more presence as a complete and substantial work of art than ever could have been obtained from one on a loose sheet.
In this study which, according to H. Naef (op. cit., 1958, p. 342), 'ranks among the most beautiful works of Ingres' late period', Joseph, aged eighteen, is represented as a sportsman with rifle and dog, a rare theme in Ingres' oeuvre. The sitter's love of shooting is documented by a letter written by the painter Brascassat to Charles Marcotte: 'Joseph sans doute après le plaisir de la campagne et de la chasse voudra bien essayer de manier le crayon et je crois qu'il le maniera aussi bien que le fusil' (Ternois, op. cit., 1999, p. 25).
At the age of 32, Joseph married Paule Aguillon who bore him four children. Joseph seems to have lived a quiet life, relying on his considerable inherited wealth, as the announcement of his death makes no mention of any professional or business activity.
This drawing also provides a rare insight into Ingres' working method. It is still wrapped around its original cardboard. Ingres generally used prepared tablets for his portraits, purchased from an art supply house, much as an artist today might use pre-stretched canvas of a standard size. It conferred to the paper a smooth and resilient surface, allowing a livelier response to the draughtsman's touch. Such a structure also gave the drawing far more presence as a complete and substantial work of art than ever could have been obtained from one on a loose sheet.