Marie Laczinska (1789–1817) Countess Walewska, then Countess d'Ornano

The exact circumstances under which this full-length portrait was commissioned from Gérard are unknown. The artwork is traditionally dated as being from 1812. The memoirs of Countess Potocka refer to Countess Walewska's presence in Gérard's studio in the days following the ball of the Imperial Guard held on June 24th, in honor of the marriage of Napoleon I to Marie-Louis. Perhaps commissioned at the end of 1809 at the Emperor's personal expense to decorate his Parisian mansion near Notre-Dame de Lorette; it was perhaps gifted upon his return from Poland in the fall of 1810, after the birth of Alexandre Walewski.
Amid an abundant production, occasionally diluted by repetitions, the portrait in the Musée de l'Armée is distinguished by its psychological sharpness, its elegiac sensibility, and its quality, from the fabric to the flesh. Standing and portrayed from a front view, Marie Walewska appears to have paused her promenade to rest on the overhang of a marble wall, secluded by a cashmere shawl. The slender silhouette stands out against the neoclassical architecture, offering a view over a park and a lake. Possibly reminiscent of Schönbrunn or Finkenstein, this somber decoration raises her stature, giving her an atemporal aspect, standing out from the romantic and wild landscape, with similar nuances to the portrait of the Marquessa Visconti, which was exhibited at the 1810 Salon. An artifice subject to infinite variants, it has been the basis for several portraits of nobility created by Gérard. The turquin blue, gray and green color tones of the shawl, the marble, the velvet of the dress and of the foliage highlight the young woman's pearly white complexion and her blonde hair, as well as the delicate details of the roses in her hairstyle, tulle sleeves, pearl jewelry, and satin slippers, which appear to radiate light. The modest pose, with a simple sway of the hips and lean of the head, softens the opulence of her attire, which may have been created by renowned couturier, Leroy.