Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867)
Studies of Legs, Hands, and the Profile of a Head
for The Martyrdom of St. Symphorien, 1825–34
Black chalk and graphite, partially squared for transfer
Signed and inscribed at lower right, Ingres; inscribed at upper
right in black chalk, pour le ... / clair demiteinte rouge / chaud fort
clair pas / autant les angles / blancs / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / clair.
12 5/8 x 7 7/8 inches (325 x 199 mm)
Purchased as the gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1985; 1985.99
This sheet, which reveals much about Ingres's
working process, was made as a study for one of
his most lauded, albeit controversial, paintings, The
Martyrdom of St. Symphorien. The artist worked on
the painting from 1825 until 1834; over two hundred
preparatory drawings are preserved in the Musée
Ingres, Montauban. Many critics excoriated the
finished composition when it was exhibited at the
Salon, prompting the artist to flee Paris for an
impromptu vacation and gravely wounding his pride.
Symphorien was a youth martyred in his native
Augustodunum (present-day Autun) in about 160–79
for refusing to prostrate himself before an idol of
the pagan goddess Cybele. The painting was
commissioned by the bishop of Autun for the
cathedral, where it remains in situ. The myriad
changes made between these vigorous sketches and
the finished painting suggest that Ingres was still
experimenting with the details for the composition.
