Comte Henri-Amédée-Mercure de Turenne-d'Aynac

Comte Henri-Amédée-Mercure de Turenne-d'Aynac, at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, was painted by David in 1816 during his Brussels exile and represents the old French aristocracy that had survived the Revolution and Napoleon to find itself in an uncomfortable limbo under the Bourbon Restoration. The count belonged to the ramified Turenne family, one of the most distinguished in France, whose members appeared on both sides of the political upheavals of the previous three decades. David's austere oil technique, with its analytical precision applied equally to revolutionary deputies and imperial marshals, brought the same disciplined observation to this aristocratic sitter. The dark coat and white cravat of bourgeois dress — the aristocracy had largely abandoned their distinctive costume by the early nineteenth century — create a study in tonal contrast that focuses attention on the sitter's individual features and composed bearing. The Clark Art Institute preserves this among its distinguished collection of French painting.

David renders the aristocratic sitter with the same analytical precision he applied to revolutionary deputies and imperial marshals. The dark coat and white cravat create a study in tonal contrast, while the face is modeled with careful attention to the individual features that distinguish this sitter from all others.