Portrait of the Duke of Orléans

This Portrait of the Duke of Orleans from 1830 at the National Museum in Havana depicts Louis-Philippe before he became King of the French. Ingres's portraits of the Orleans family reflect his close relationship with the liberal monarchy that supported the arts. 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 formal portrait presents the duke with Ingres's characteristic precision and polish. The careful rendering of costume and features creates an image of aristocratic authority.