Portrait of a Man

"Portrait of a Man," executed by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1814, is a profound example of the artist's unparalleled draftsmanship. Created entirely in graphite, this intimate drawing captures the precise contours and textures characteristic of Neoclassical portraiture. Produced during Ingres’s extended residence in Rome, this work belongs to a significant series of highly finished, small-scale portraits he undertook, which often served as studies or commissioned mementos.

Ingres utilized the sharp point of the graphite pencil to render the subject's features with meticulous fidelity. The unidentified man is depicted in near-profile, allowing the artist to emphasize the clean, sculptural structure of the face and the disciplined folds of the clothing. This intense focus on line and form over color demonstrates why Ingres was considered the heir to Raphael and a crucial figure in the continuing academic tradition, even as Romanticism was gaining influence.

Unlike his monumental history paintings, this portrait focuses intimately on the sitter's individual demeanor. Ingres achieves subtle depth through controlled shading, defining the planes of the face and neck with minimal blending, thus retaining the crisp clarity of the initial drawing. As a master of the classical line, Ingres elevated the status of the graphic medium itself.

This historically significant nineteenth-century portrait is classified as a drawing and currently resides within the esteemed collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Due to the work's classification and period, it is frequently studied by scholars. Its recognition ensures that high-quality prints and reproductions are commonly made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring wide accessibility to Ingres's exacting technique.