Madame Edmond Cavé (Marie-Élisabeth Blavot, born 1810) is a striking oil on canvas painting by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, executed over a protracted period between 1826 and 1839. This formal portrait captures the subject, Marie-Élisabeth Blavot, who married the Inspector of Fine Arts Edmond Cavé, in a meticulously rendered profile view. The extended duration of the work’s creation reflects Ingres’s demanding artistic standards and his commitment to classical precision, a hallmark of his style within French Neoclassicism.
Ingres was celebrated for his mastery of draughtsmanship, visible here in the smooth, almost porcelain-like finish of the skin and the precise contours of the sitter's face and elegant coiffure. He frequently employed the profile perspective for his portraits of women, using it to minimize subjective expression while maximizing linear clarity, thereby evoking the timeless, sculptural purity found in ancient Roman art. The attention dedicated to the costume and drapery highlights the aesthetic expectations placed upon French society figures during the July Monarchy.
This important work by the master portraitist is now housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The canvas exemplifies Ingres's sustained influence on European portraiture throughout the 19th century. Due to its cultural and historical significance, the museum has facilitated the widespread availability of high-quality prints and digital reproductions, often placing imagery of works like Madame Edmond Cavé into the public domain for study and appreciation.
Important: ArtBee makes no warranties about the copyright status of this artwork. To the best of our knowledge, based on information from the source museum, we believe this work is in the public domain.
You are responsible for determining the rights status and securing any permissions needed for your use. Copyright status may vary by jurisdiction. See our License & Usage page and Terms of Service for details.