Dr. François Mêlier. Artist: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (French, Montauban 1780-1867 Paris). Dimensions: 12 11/16 x 9 3/4 in. (32.2 x 25 cm). Date: 1849.
The physician François Mêlier, an eminent figure in the field of public health in the mid-nineteenth century, posed for this masterful portrait. In all likelihood commissioned by Mêlier's family, the drawing was in the collection of his daughter Blanche at the time of Ingres's retrospective exhibition in 1867. The white highlights are probably Ingres's corrections. As the paper darkened over time, they became more prominent.
Technique/matériel:
Graphite with graphite framing lines, corrected with white, on buff wove paper