Études pour le Martyre de saint Symphorien

These studies for the Martyrdom of Saint Symphorien from 1829 at the Musée Ingres-Bourdelle in Montauban document the exhaustive preparation for the large altarpiece that Ingres exhibited at the Salon of 1834 to mixed and often hostile reception. The painting's reception deeply wounded him and contributed to his decision to accept the directorship of the French Academy in Rome, a temporary withdrawal from Paris that he used to paint the Grande Odalisque and develop his mature style away from the fractious Parisian art world. Saint Symphorien, a third-century martyr from Autun, was a subject Ingres had contemplated for years, and the preparatory studies reveal his systematic approach to developing complex multi-figure compositions. His oil surfaces, built through meticulous underdrawing and smooth controlled layers, were applied in these studies with somewhat greater freedom as he worked through figural arrangements and expressive poses. The Musée Ingres-Bourdelle preserves this documentation of one of the most significant episodes in Ingres's career.

The oil studies show Ingres working through figural arrangements and expressive poses with precise draftsmanship. The studies reveal his methodical approach to building complex multi-figure compositions.