John Russell, Sixth Duke of Bedford
- Date
- 1815
- Material
- Graphite
- made in
- Rome, Lazio region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Drawings & watercolors
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 15 5/16 x 11 7/16 in. (38.9 x 29.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 354:1952
NOTES
During difficult times, the French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres would turn to small portrait drawings as a source of income. He drew at least twenty-two in 1815, when he was in Rome after Napoleon's defeat. Many sitters were tourists, including the subject of this drawing, John Russell, Sixth Duke of Bedford (1766-1839), who was in Italy in order to add to his art collections in England. Ingres presents Russell seated before a well-stocked desk, holding a book with a regal crest. Ingres's exceptional virtuosity can be seen in his lively rendering of fabric juxtaposed with the subtle modeling of Russell's face.
Provenance
1815 - 1952
John Russell (1766-1839), Sixth Duke of Bedford, Woburn Abbey, England; his family, by inheritance
1952
Dr. Otto Wertheimer, Paris, France, purchased from the Russell family through Edward Speelman, London, England [1]
1952 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Dr. Otto Wertheimer through Galerie les Tourettes S. A., Basel, Switzerland [2]
Notes:
This provenance is based on the work of Patricia Condon, Marjorie Cohn, and Agnes Mongan: "In Pursuit of Perfection: The Art of J.-A.-D. Ingres." Louisville, Kentucky: J.B. Speed Art Museum, 1983, cat. no. 64. Exceptions and supporting documents are noted.
[1] Per correspondence and receipts from Galerie les Tourettes on behalf of Dr. Otto Wertheimer and a bill of sale from Otto Wertheimer dated January 6, 1953 [SLAM document files]. A recent publication clarifies the role of Edward Speelman in the transaction between Bedford and Wertheimer [Tinterow, Gary and Philip Conisbee, ed. "Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch." New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999, no. 57.]
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 4, 1952.
John Russell (1766-1839), Sixth Duke of Bedford, Woburn Abbey, England; his family, by inheritance
1952
Dr. Otto Wertheimer, Paris, France, purchased from the Russell family through Edward Speelman, London, England [1]
1952 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Dr. Otto Wertheimer through Galerie les Tourettes S. A., Basel, Switzerland [2]
Notes:
This provenance is based on the work of Patricia Condon, Marjorie Cohn, and Agnes Mongan: "In Pursuit of Perfection: The Art of J.-A.-D. Ingres." Louisville, Kentucky: J.B. Speed Art Museum, 1983, cat. no. 64. Exceptions and supporting documents are noted.
[1] Per correspondence and receipts from Galerie les Tourettes on behalf of Dr. Otto Wertheimer and a bill of sale from Otto Wertheimer dated January 6, 1953 [SLAM document files]. A recent publication clarifies the role of Edward Speelman in the transaction between Bedford and Wertheimer [Tinterow, Gary and Philip Conisbee, ed. "Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch." New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999, no. 57.]
[2] See note [1]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 4, 1952.
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