Cleveland Museum of Art

Mme. Dufresne

Pierre-Paul Prud'honLinkedCulture matchlcp-36a99d454f5f

Date: c. 1816
Medium: oil on paper mounted on fabric
Culture: France, 19th century
Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 140342

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

The artist made this sketch in preparation for a full-length portrait of Madame Dufresne that is now lost. Prud'hon showed the sitter—probably the wife of an art dealer—in a landscape where she is seated in a relaxed pose with her legs crossed. According to an early auction record, the composition is based upon one of several sketches Prud'hon made for a portrait of Empress Josephine (1763–1814). The empress probably rejected the pose as too casual. Prud'hon's portraits show his skill in capturing emotions, especially melancholy. This is true of the Cleveland portrait; despite its rough surface, we sense the sitter's gentle demeanor and slightly wistful expression. In 1789 Prud'hon was awarded the Prix de Rome, a scholarship that allowed especially gifted French art students the chance to study in Rome. While in Italy, Prud'hon was deeply influenced not only by ancient Roman art but also by the lively, international Neoclassical movement that was centered there. After his return to France, the artist became very popular with Napoleon, painting portraits of the emperor and his entourage and acting as Empress Josephine's drawing instructor.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Credit line: Severance and Greta Millikin Collection
Provenance: c. 1816 - 1823: Studio of the artist | Probably 1823 - 1838: Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont [1773-1838], probably bequeathed to his daughter, Henri Power | Probably 1838 - 1864: Probably Henri Power [d. 1864], probably to Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont fils | Probably 1864 - 1870: Probably Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont fils | 1870: (Boisfremont fils sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 9, 1870, no. 8, sold to Monsieur de Norzy) | 1870 - by 1874: Monsieur de Norzy | By 1874: M. Jeanne-Deslandes | 1886: (Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 24, 1886, no. 52) | By 1887: Collection Henri Rochefort [1831-1913], Paris | Until 1908: Paul-Arthur Chéramy [1840-1912], Paris | 1908: (Chéramy sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, May 5-7, 1908, no. 95, bought in) | 1908-1912: Probably Paul-Arthur Chéramy [1840-1912], Paris | 1913: (Chéramy estate sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 14-16, 1913, no. 391, sold to Jacob) | 1913-: Jacob | By 1922 - at least 1937: David David-Weill [1871-1952], Paris | Probably until 1941: Irwin Laughlin [1871-1941], Washington, D.C. | 1959: (Laughlin sale, Sotheby's, London, June 10, 1959, lot 123, possibly sold to Betts on behalf of Clifford Duits) | 1963-1964: Severance A. [1895-1989] and Greta Millikin [1903-1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1964-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH