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Description of Madame Moites Sier by Ingres (1856)

The portrait is influenced by the art of antiquity and the Renaissance.The pose, with the hand touching the cheek, is derived from an ancient Roman fresco of a goddess, from Herculaneum. This may suggest that for Ingres Madam Moitessier represented the ideal of classical beauty.

Ingres believed that portraiture was a less elevated art form than history painting. In 1851, 

Ingres standing painted a portrait (National Gallery of Art, Washington) before returning to the portrait sitting which finally ended in 1856. This painting Is in the Musée Ingres in Montauban.