Marie Madeleine Chassériau

This 1836 portrait of Marie Madeleine Chassériau at the Louvre depicts the artist's sister, one of several family portraits that provide intimate evidence of Chassériau's personal relationships alongside his formal commissions. Painted when Chassériau was seventeen and Marie Madeleine presumably a young woman, the portrait shows his training under Ingres operating at its most refined: the precise linear description of features, the careful rendering of fabric and jewelry, the psychological directness that made Ingres's female portraits so celebrated. The intimacy of family portraiture allowed Chassériau a freedom from the formal requirements of official commissions, producing works that combine professional skill with personal feeling.

The sibling portrait is rendered with intimate tenderness and precise drawing, Chassériau's careful observation of his sister's features creating a portrait of both familial affection and individual character.