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| François-Joseph Bosio Bust-portrait of Marie-Amélie, Queen of the French 1841 marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"King Louis-Philippe's obsession with royal iconography ensured that there would be abundant images of himself and his wife, Queen Marie-Amélie, for posterity. . . . This bust was commissioned in 1837. Bosio was paid for the first version in 1838 and it was exhibited at the Salon of 1839; it appears to be the work now in Versailles. A contemporary critic observed, 'Bosio recently executed a bust of the Queen, one of his most carefully meditated works and among the most notable of his oeuvre. This bust of the Queen Amélie is of a character as pure as it is noble. The resemblance, its grace, its dignity are perfect. It is a masterpiece.' The king and queen evidently shared this high opinion, as they ordered three replicas from Bosio. One was finished by August 26, 1841 and given before the end of the year by Louis-Philippe to Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, by then King Ferdinand II of Portugal. The date on the socle of the Metropolitan Museums's example is the same as that of this commission. It was a gift to a prince into whose family two of the ten children of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie were married. The replication of busts of royalty was a normal practice in the period, but this example was evidently of sufficient quality and personal allure to represent the queen in a foreign court where her family presided. Of the other two replicas, now lost, one was finished by 1838 and sent to Vienna; the other, completed by 1844, was deposited in the headquarters of the National Guard in Paris. The acclaimed likeness brought Bosio the commission for a full-length statue of the queen in state dress."
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| Léonard Limosin Portrait of Henri d'Albert, King of Navarre 1556 enamel on copper (Limoges) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"Léonard Limosin was the greatest enamel painter working in the style of the School of Fontainebleau (Italian Mannerists and French artists active at the French court from about 1530 to 1570). Limosin's enameled portraits are numerous, and he has been ranked, along with Jean Clouet and Corneille de Lyon, as the best portrait painter of Renaissance France. This plaque, one of at least six based on a drawing attributed to Limosin, portrays the brother-in-law of the French king, François I. Henri d'Albert ruled the independent kingdom of Navarre from 1518 until 1555."
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| Hendrick ter Brugghen Boy singing 1627 oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
"Like many artists from the Dutch city of Utrecht, ter Brugghen admired the vividly naturalistic figures and dramatic lighting in paintings by the early seventeenth-century Italian painter Caravaggio. These artists often dressed their figures in colorful costumes similar to those worn by street entertainers and very different from the sober black-and-white garments worn by men and women of the time. The singer's open mouth and raised right hand, beating time, give this picture a lively and engaging sense of the moment."
After passing through collections and galleries in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, and England, this painting was purchased by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for $27,000 in 1958.
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| attributed to Andrea Previtali Portrait of a young woman ca. 1520-25 drawing Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
"A young woman turns her head to look over her left shoulder, staring out with dark, almond-shaped eyes. She wears a high-necked dress with an embroidered collar that opens at her throat, revealing a narrow necklace or clasp. A schuffa, or headdress made of braided hair, held in place by a brooch in the center, decorates her head. Although her identity is unknown, the format of the portrait and her clothing indicate the sitter was from northern Italy. The artist sketched her in chalk in the early 1500s in preparation for a formal painting. Scholars are uncertain about the meaning of the chalk lines in the bottom left corner. They may signal an abandoned attempt at drawing one of the sitter's hands or the upper sleeve of her drapery."
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| Auguste Rodin Madame X (Anna de Noailles) ca. 1907 marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"Eyes half open, Countess Anna-Élizabeth de Noailles, a Parisian poet, appears suspended in a state of tranquil reverie. The glowing, milky surface of her carved likeness, typical of Rodin's late marbles, obscures the details of her coiffure and facial features. Displeased with these veiled forms – as well as the prominence given to her nose – the countess rejected the portrait. Three years later, the bust was purchased by trustees of The Met from the sculptor's studio, with the title of Madame X (Lady Unknown)."
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| Robert Nanteuil Portrait of Monseigneur Louis Doni d'Attichy, Bishop of Riez and later of Autun 1663 pastel Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
"Robert Nanteuil made this pastel portrait of Louis Doni d'Attichy, the Bishop of Riez and lat er of Autun, as a preparatory study for an engraving made in 1663. Scholars believe that the print was intended to adorn the cover of a doctoral thesis dedicated to the eminent bishop. Broadly defining the sitter's garments and leaving the background plain, Nanteuil concentrated on modeling the facial features with the utmost precision, giving the illusion of rendering the sitter with exacting realism."
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| Wedgwood & Bentley Head of Medusa ca. 1775-80 jasperware Victoria & Albert Museum |
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| Nicolaes Maes Portrait of a woman ca. 1670-80 oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
"Maes studies drawing in his native Dordrecht before moving to Amsterdam, where he was a student of Rembrandt. He painted themes from religious history as well as scenes of everyday life, but by the 1660s dedicated himself to portraiture. Portraits like this one reveal his admiration for the work of the Flemish painters Rubens and van Dyck."
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| Joseph-Marie Bouton Miniature portrait of a woman playing the harp ca. 1795 pigment on ivory Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Francesco Paolo Michetti Self-portrait 1877 pastel and gouache Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
"Francesco Paolo Michetti chose to title this drawing Scherzoto, reflecting the intention behind his self-portrait. To express the idea of a scherzo, a sprightly musical composition or movement, Michetti applied his materials in a quick, gestural manner that conjures up the music's darting, skipping rhythms. The brilliance of Michetti's color, particularly the halo of white around his face, also evokes the scherzo's liveliness. During the later 1800s, many artists believed in a concept known as synesthesia: that color and sound were so closely related that color could stimulate the sensation of sound and sound could stimulate the sensation of color."
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| Auguste Rodin Mrs Russell (Mariana Mattioco della Torre) modeled 1888, cast 1979 bronze Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"Mariana Russell, the wife of the Impressionist painter John Peter Russell, modeled for Rodin's sculptures of ancient goddesses. Likely inspired by her evenly proportioned, classical features, the artist portrayed her variously as Ceres, Minerva, and Athena. In 1888 Rodin modeled her portrait in wax; this later bronze cast captures her dignified beauty. Her hair is pulled back, emphasizing her broad jaw, strong nose, and full lips. She appears aloof yet feeling, simple yet intelligent: a woman of depth and character. Rodin often expressed his preference for frank portraiture: 'Even the most insignificant head is the dwelling-place of life . . . and so offers inexhaustible matter for the masterpiece.'"
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| Ancient Rome Bust of a youth AD 140 marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This bust may be seen as a funerary portrait. The unusual addition of a lion's skin, associated with the semi-divine Hercules, between the bust and the circular base probably signifies the parents' wish to glorify their son. Moreover, he is unclothed in a heroic manner. The youth is portrayed as an older boy but his features are childlike. When acquired by the Museum a century ago, the bust was heavily covered with accretions and was long regarded as authentic. However, after radical cleaning in 1984, the antiquity of the bust was questioned and it was removed from display. Recent studies and re-evaluation, including the identification of the marble as coming from a quarry not far from the city of Aphrodisias in ancient Caria (present-day Turkey), have prompted the sculpture to be reinstated."
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| Ancient Rome Head of Marcus Aurelius AD 161-180 marble Walters Art Museum, Baltimore |
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| Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Classical couple in cameo style with overlapping profiles ca. 1780-90 jasperware Philadelphia Museum of Art |
– quoted texts based on curator's notes from the respective museums