Tête de femme italienne de profil

This 1840 Head of an Italian Woman in Profile at the Louvre belongs to Chassériau's studies of Mediterranean types. The profile format recalls classical conventions and Renaissance portrait traditions, connecting the modern subject to the long history of idealized Mediterranean beauty. Chassériau, a pupil of Ingres who was also deeply influenced by Delacroix, occupied a unique position between classical line and Romantic color that made him one of the most original French painters of his generat

The profile view emphasizes the elegant contour of the features, rendered with Chassériau's precise Ingresque drawing and the warm, sensuous coloring that distinguished his personal style.