Art Institute of Chicago
Innocence Prefers Love to Riches
Pierre Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823)LinkedCulture matchlcp-157cd381b800
- Date
- c. 1804
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Culture
- France
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 16405
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
In this allegorical painting, a personification of Innocence at center signals her preference for Love, represented as a cupid, over Riches, taking the form of a woman in lavish Grecian robes and offering a chest of golden baubles. Pierre-Paul Prud’hon complicated this straightforward parable by manipulating the figures’ postures: while Innocence embraces Love, she gazes longingly over her shoulder at Riches, inviting viewers to wonder about the finality of her decision. Prud’hon created this preparatory sketch for a larger painting to be completed by his collaborator and friend, Constance Mayer, who was known for her portraits and allegorical scenes.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
- Provenance
- Probably François Marcille (died 1856), Paris [de Goncourt and de Goncourt 1876 report that he bought it in 1839 and bequeathed it to his son Camille]; by descent to his son, Camille Marcille (died 1875), Paris; his estate sale Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 6, 1876, lot 51, for 8,000 francs [price according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague]. L. Tabourier, Paris, by 1889 [lent to Paris 1889]; sold, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 20–22, 1898, lot 118, for 5,000 francs [price according to an annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, The Hague]. Durand-Ruel, Paris, by 1898 [it is likely that Durand-Ruel purchased the painting at the Tabourier sale, possibly as agent for Martin A. Ryerson]; sold to Martin A. Ryerson (died 1932) for 5,000 francs, July 20, 1898 [according to the transaction invoice, Ryerson Papers, Art Institute Archives]; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1933.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300033618
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