Madame Charles Gounod

Madame Charles Gounod is a sensitive portrait drawing executed in 1859 by the celebrated French artist Jean–Auguste–Dominique Ingres (1780–1867). This intimate study is rendered primarily in graphite on ivory wove paper, which has mellowed over time, discoloring to a uniform creamy hue. As one of the definitive draughtsmen of the Neoclassical tradition, Ingres utilized the stark simplicity of the graphite medium to capture the precise likeness of the sitter, the wife of the famed composer Charles Gounod. The work reflects the artist's lifelong commitment to the supremacy of line and form above color, a characteristic that defined his prolific career in France.

Created late in Ingres’s life, this piece showcases the unwavering technical precision characteristic of his finished studies. Unlike the labor-intensive production of his grand oil paintings, these drawings—which were frequently commissioned portraits for prominent Parisian society—were known for their immediacy and remarkable attention to detail. The fine, controlled lines used to delineate the features, hair, and clothing illustrate why Ingres was revered for his mastery of draughtsmanship throughout the 19th century, serving as a critical touchstone for subsequent generations of French academic artists.

Although classified as a drawing, the work’s meticulous detail elevates it beyond a mere sketch, providing invaluable insight into the private commissions that often funded the master’s public projects. This piece is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Madame Charles Gounod remains an important example of sophisticated portraiture during the Second Empire. As works from this period often enter the public domain, high-quality prints and reproductions of the drawing help ensure that Ingres’s profound influence on modern portraiture continues to be widely accessible to art historians and students globally.