Madame Jean-Baptiste Isabey (Jeanne Laurice de Salienne, died 1829)

This delicate ivory miniature portrays Jeanne Laurice de Salienne, first wife of Jean-Baptiste Isabey, whom he married in 1791. Painted during the turbulent years of the Directory period (1795-1799), the portrait captures the transitional fashion between Revolutionary simplicity and emerging Empire elegance. Isabey managed to survive the Revolution and maintain his artistic career through successive French regimes.

The miniature on ivory displays Isabey's refined stippling technique, with the translucent ivory ground lending warmth to the flesh tones and the finely detailed costume rendered with precise brushstrokes.