Portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, 1450-1451 (15th Century) by Piero della Francesca (c.1422-1492) and Paris, musée du LouvreOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
Individual portraits were first painted towards the end of the Middle Ages as princes, rulers, and warlords wanted to assert their authority and have their power recognized.
In these profile and front-on depictions, the subject's gaze is strong, focused, and often piercing as with Malatesta,
The Marechal de Saxe (18th Century) by Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) and Paris, Louvre museumOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
or occasionally seductive as with Maurice de Saxe.
Portrait of Louis-François Bertin, also known as "Bertin l'Aîné" (1766-1841) (19th Century) by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), musée du LouvreOriginal Source: Paris, musée du Louvre
The same determination shines through the eyes of the businessman painted by Ingres ...
Portrait of a Turk in a Turban (19th Century) by Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863), Paris, musée national Eugène DelacroixOriginal Source: Paris, musée national Eugène Delacroix
... and the proud and fierce face of the turban-wearing black man painted by Delacroix a few years before.
Jupiter and Thétis (19th Century) by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), Aix-en-Provence, musée GranetOriginal Source: Aix-en-Provence, musée Granet
The dark expression of Jupiter, King of the Gods, painted by Ingres to be sitting on the throne of Olympus makes clear his total intransigence ...
as Thetis kneels by his side, begging for some favor.
The Provost of the Merchants Etienne Marcel and the Dauphin Charles (19th Century) by Lucien Melingue (1841-1889), Paris, musée d'OrsayOriginal Source: Agence photo de la Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais
Nineteenth-century painters were fond of the past and illustrated key events in France's history, imbuing the characters' expressions with all the passion required.
Provost of the Merchants of Paris Étienne Marcel arrogantly seizes power from Dauphin Charles (the future King Charles V).
Charlotte Corday (19th Century) by Paul Jacques Aime Baudry (1828-1886), Nantes, musée d'ArtsOriginal Source: Nantes, musée d'Arts
Having just murdered radical journalist and politician Jean-Paul Marat, the eyes of French Revolutionary figure Charlotte Corday betray her horror at what she has done as well as her feeling of power and satisfaction at seeing her duty fulfilled.
We would like to thank:
- For design, illustrations, writing, and coordination of the RMN-Grand Palais project: Cécile Maisonneuve (Doctor of Art History, Policy Officer, Scientific Council), Nathalie Gathelier (National Museums Speaker), Annie Madec (Iconographer), Françoise Lombardi-Peissel (Project Manager) at RMN-Grand Palais.
- For reproductions: French museum collections represented by the Photo Agency of the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais:
Montpellier, Musée Fabre; Versailles, Musée Lambinet; Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts; Paris, The Louvre; Paris, Centre Pompidou (Musée National d'Art Moderne - Centre de Création Industrielle).
