Portrait of Auguste François Talma

This Portrait of Auguste Francois Talma from 1805 at the Louvre shows Ingres at the very beginning of his career in Rome. The sitter was related to the famous actor Talma, and the portrait reflects the network of French expatriates who provided Ingres with his early commissions. Ingres built his oil surfaces through meticulous underdrawing in graphite, then applied smooth, controlled layers that eliminated all visible brushwork—a deliberate rejection of the painterly Romantic style of Delacroix.

The early portrait already shows Ingres's accomplished draftsmanship and refined surface handling. The careful modeling of the face and precise rendering of costume details demonstrate his portrait skills.