Comtesse de La Tour-Maubourg (Marie-Louise-Charlotte-Gabrielle Thomas de Pange, 1816–1850)

Théodore Chassériau painted this portrait of the Comtesse de La Tour-Maubourg in 1841, when she was 25 years old — she would die young at 34 in 1850. Chassériau, a prodigy who entered Ingres's studio at age eleven, developed a distinctive style blending Ingres's neoclassical line with the coloristic richness of Delacroix. This portrait from his early maturity exemplifies the refined elegance of Parisian society portraiture during the July Monarchy.

Chassériau combines Ingres's precise linear draftsmanship in the face and hands with warmer, more sensuous coloring in the fabrics and background. The smooth modeling of the skin and meticulous rendering of lace and silk demonstrate his dual allegiance to classical drawing and Romantic color.