Charles-Philippe de France (1757-1836), comte d'Artois, en uniforme de colonel général des Carabiniers, vers 1815 (esquisse)

This is Gérard's preliminary sketch (esquisse) for the official portrait of the Comte d'Artois, painted in the same year, 1815. The sketch was retained in a royal collection and is now at Versailles, while the finished version went to the Louvre. Esquisses occupy an interesting place in French academic practice — they were working documents but also valued as demonstrations of an artist's initial creative conception, sometimes more highly regarded by later collectors for their freshness than the finished works they preceded. Gérard's sketch reveals how closely it corresponds to the finished portrait while showing slightly looser handling.

The esquisse format allows looser, more gestural brushwork than the finished portrait. The composition is fully established but individual passages — particularly the uniform details — are abbreviated. Facial likeness is prioritized over costume accuracy. The warm ground shows through in places, contributing to the sketch's animated color.