Portrait of Juliette Récamier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Portrait of Juliette Récamier | |
|---|---|
_-_musée_Carnavalet.jpg) | |
| Artist | François Gérard |
| Year | 1802 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 225 cm × 148 cm (89 in × 58 in) |
| Location | Musée Carnavalet, Paris |
Portrait of Juliette Récamier is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French painter François Gérard, created in 1802. It depicts the Parisian salonier Juliette Récamier, a famous beauty of his time, in a classic pose, but with an unmistakable sensuality. The painting is held in the Musée Carnavalet, in Paris.[1]
Juliette Récamier (1777–1849), née Bernard, was the wife of the wealthy and much older banker Jacques Récamier (1751–1830). Since 1799 she held a popular salon in Paris for many years, which became an important meeting place for artists and intellectuals, many of whom were opponents of Napoleon.[2] She was known for her beauty and was portrayed several times by various prominent painters.[3]
In 1800, the neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David painted her in a classical pose and dress, with her reclined on a type of sofa that would later be named after her: a récamier.[4] However, she was dissatisfied with what she thought was David's cold approach, and she commissioned instead his pupil François Gérard to make a new portrait of her. When he knew of this, David decided to leave her portrait unfinished.[5]