Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867)
Portrait of Charles-Désiré Norry, 1817
Graphite
Signed, inscribed, and dated in graphite, Ingres à /
Mr Norry / Pere. / rome / 1817.
7 13/16 x 5 13/16 inches (198 x 148 mm)
Purchased as the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Claus Von Bülow, 1977; 1977.37
Ingres's ability to distill on paper the personality of
his sitter is exemplified by this portrait of Charles-
Désiré Norry (1796–1818), the elder son of architect
Charles Norry (1757–1832). Although he did not
receive a Prix de Rome, the younger Norry traveled
to Rome to study architecture and was granted
quarters at the Villa Medici, likely owing to his
father's intervention. At this time, Ingres was living
nearby on the via Gregoriana, and the two likely
met through mutual friends. Ingres conveyed his
sitter's unhappiness through his depiction of
Norry's puffed, round cheeks, pursed lips, and surly
gaze. Perhaps Norry's unpleasant demeanor was
a result of ill health—he was to die less than a
year later.
