Madame Récamier

Gros painted this portrait of Madame Récamier, the famous salon hostess, in 1825, creating a late-career contribution to the remarkable visual record of one of the most painted women in French history. By this date Récamier had already been depicted by David in his famous unfinished portrait and by Gérard in a celebrated reclining pose. Gros's version shows her in maturity, still commanding the social world of Restoration Paris at her salon in the Abbaye-aux-Bois. Gros's painting career bridged David's classical severity — in which he had been trained — with the Romantic colorism that Delacroix would develop in his wake, using warm and vibrant flesh tones that anticipated the next generation's innovations. He is best remembered for his Napoleonic battle paintings, but his portraiture demonstrates the same ability to combine formal grandeur with personal observation. The painting is held at the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters in Zagreb.

Gros renders the celebrated beauty with restrained elegance and a warm palette that flatters the aging sitter. The careful rendering of fashionable dress and the soft, diffused lighting demonstrate his skill in society portraiture.