General Louis-Étienne Dulong de Rosnay

The masterful drawing, General Louis-Étienne Dulong de Rosnay, was created by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1818 during his productive period in Rome. This compelling portrait captures Louis-Étienne Dulong de Rosnay (1784-1849), a French military officer who served prominently during the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent Bourbon Restoration. Ingres was highly sought after for his rigorous precision in portraiture, making him the preferred artist for many influential figures traveling through or residing in the Italian capital. This detailed study of the general is a definitive example of the specific genre of portrait drawings Ingres pioneered.

Executed primarily in graphite, Ingres utilized both hard and soft pencils to achieve remarkable textural variation and depth. The classification of the work as a drawing emphasizes the purity of line and the meticulous detail applied to the General’s uniform and regalia. Softer shading techniques define the contours of the General's face and hair, while crisp, defined lines highlight his firm expression. This highly finished work demonstrates Ingres's commitment to the superior role of line in neoclassical art, allowing him to capture the subject's personality with an intimate immediacy often absent in his larger oil paintings.

This exceptional piece is part of the extensive collection of European drawings housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ingres often relied on the sales of these quick but detailed portraits as a major source of income during his expatriate years. Due to the artwork’s historical significance and status, General Louis-Étienne Dulong de Rosnay is frequently made available for scholarly study. Today, high-quality prints derived from the public domain images of this piece allow broader access to Ingres's masterful handling of the drawing medium.