Artwork
Portrait of a Young Man Standing on the Quirinal with the Turris Comitum in the Background
Portrait of a Young Man Standing on the Quirinal with the Turris Comitum in the Background is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. It dates from 1804 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Jean‑Augustin‑Dominique Ingres produced a drawing around 1804 that portrays a young gentleman positioned before the Quirinal hill, with the medieval tower known as Turris Comitum rising behind him. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter stands with his left hand resting on his hip and his right hand grasping a hat, dressed in a long coat with a high collar and a cravat. The composed pose and refined attire convey a sense of aristocratic poise, while the inclusion of the recognizable Roman landmark situates the figure within a specific urban setting.
Technique & Style
Executed in fine pen and wash, the drawing employs subtle contrasts of light and shadow to model the figure’s form and to give the architectural background a sense of depth. Ingres’s precise line work and controlled shading reflect his early neoclassical training, even as the composition hints at the emerging Romantic interest in atmospheric setting.
History & Provenance
Created in the early nineteenth century, the drawing entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the twentieth century, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s European drawings collection.
Context
The work dates from a period when Ingres was establishing his reputation in Paris, shortly after his success at the 1801 Prix de Rome. The inclusion of the Quirinal and the Turris Comitum reflects the artist’s fascination with Roman topography, a theme common among contemporaries who looked to antiquity for inspiration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ascendant Romantic…
