Edmond Cavé (1794–1852)

Edmond Cavé (1794–1852) is a distinguished oil on canvas painting created by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1844. This refined example of Ingres’s portraiture depicts Cavé, a significant cultural figure who served as the Director of Fine Arts under King Louis Philippe and was influential in the administration of the arts in France during the July Monarchy.

Ingres renders the subject with his characteristic clarity, precise draftsmanship, and extremely smooth application of oil paint—hallmarks of his demanding Neoclassical approach. The painting captures Cavé’s serious demeanor and official status, concentrating on the textural quality of his clothing and the focused intensity of his gaze. Unlike the expressive brushwork favored by Romantic contemporaries, Ingres employs a meticulous technique that removes all traces of the artist’s hand, resulting in a highly polished and formal portrayal.

Although primarily renowned for large-scale historical and mythological scenes, Ingres maintained a lifelong dedication to commissioned portraits of men and women, and works such as Edmond Cavé (1794–1852) are recognized as masterpieces of nineteenth-century French portraiture. The canvas provides both an intimate likeness and a historical record of a key figure in the period’s cultural politics. This pivotal work resides in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. High-resolution images of the painting are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring accessibility for scholars and allowing the creation of high-quality prints for broad educational use.