Portrait of a Young Man Standing on the Quirinal with the Turris Comitum in the Background

Portrait of a Young Man Standing on the Quirinal with the Turris Comitum in the Background by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres is an exquisite graphite drawing created sometime in the 19th century. This precise, highly detailed work, characteristic of French Neoclassical draftsmanship, captures a standing male figure posed against a specifically Roman backdrop. The title confirms the setting as the Quirinal Hill, with the imposing medieval structure of the Turris Comitum visible in the distance, illustrating the intersection of contemporary portraiture and historical Roman architecture.

Ingres, celebrated for his emphasis on linear purity and rigorous attention to form, utilized the medium of graphite to achieve exceptional clarity in this drawing classification. The figure, possibly a study or a finished portrait, is rendered with the same meticulous detail that characterizes the artist’s grander oil canvases. The crisp delineation of the clothing and the measured placement of the figure against the landscape elements showcase Ingres’s foundational skill as a draftsman—a trait central to the French academic tradition of the period.

This piece provides valuable insight into the artist’s working methods, especially during his extensive periods spent studying and working in Rome. Many such drawings served as preparatory sketches or as independent visual records of the city’s complex environment. Now part of the permanent holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art, this work is crucial for understanding how Ingres reconciled classical ideals with observed reality. As a culturally significant piece from the 19th century, high-quality prints and digital reproductions derived from the original often enter the public domain, ensuring that Ingres’s delicate mastery remains widely accessible for study.