Portrait of Laure-Emilie-Felicite David, La Baronne Meunier

Laure-Emilie-Felicite David, the artist's daughter who married Baron Meunier, appears in this 1812 portrait now in San Francisco. Family portraits represent some of David's most relaxed and emotionally warm works, freed from the public obligations that shaped his commissions for the state. David's austere oil technique rejected all Rococo softness in favor of a firm, sculptural handling that emphasized drawing over color—figures modelled like antique reliefs against neutral backgrounds,...

Paternal affection softens David's usually austere approach — the daughter's features are modeled with particular tenderness, and the color palette is warmer than in his political portraits. The Empire-period costume is rendered with characteristic precision but without the stiffness of official dress.