Portrait of Madame Rhode (Rhoda?)

The Portrait of Madame Rhode (Rhoda?) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres is a refined example of the artist's masterful draftsmanship, executed circa 1810-1820. This intimate study is meticulously rendered in graphite on pale buff wove paper, a medium Ingres frequently utilized to prepare for his grand oil paintings or to fulfill independent portrait commissions. The use of graphite allowed the artist to achieve the precise, almost sculptural linearity that defined his Neoclassical approach.

Ingres was renowned for his ability to capture both the likeness and the underlying character of his sitters, and this portrait of an unknown woman of status is no exception. The treatment of the fabric and the details of Madame Rhode’s hairstyle demonstrates Ingres’s unwavering focus on textural accuracy. Produced during a period when the artist was highly active in Rome, the drawing embodies the clarity and formal rigor that stood in contrast to the emerging emotionalism of Romanticism.

This work serves as a crucial document in the study of early 19th-century European portraiture, demonstrating how the swift yet detailed medium of drawing could capture the sophistication of upper-class women. The overall condition and clarity of the line confirm the exceptional quality maintained while in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because many of Ingres’s preparatory studies and drawings are now considered to be in the public domain, museum-quality prints of this work are available for study and enjoyment.