Portrait of the Comte de Turenne

The Comte de Turenne, painted in 1816 at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen, belonged to an old French military family and was among the aristocratic and exile community that became David's primary clientele during his Brussels years. David had been banished from France by the Bourbon restoration as a regicide who had voted for the execution of Louis XVI, and his Brussels period was spent serving the French expatriate community that maintained its social network across national borders. His austere oil technique, which rejected Rococo softness in favor of sculptural handling derived from his Roman studies, was applied here to a portrait of military bearing but civilian dress, conveying authority through posture and gaze rather than uniform. David's late palette, warmer than his revolutionary-era work, gave such Brussels portraits a richness and human warmth that distinguishes them from his more austere earlier style. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek preserves this as part of its significant collection of European painting.

The count is presented with military bearing but civilian dress, the erect posture and steady gaze conveying authority without resorting to uniform or decorations. David's late palette is warmer than his revolutionary-era work, with richer flesh tones and a more atmospheric background.