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Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 'Monsieur de Norvins', 1811-12

About the work

Monsieur de Norvins had recently been appointed Chief of Police in Rome when Ingres painted his portrait in 1811. He is presented as a reserved, even forbidding, figure who closely scrutinises us as we look at him. Norvins’ loyalty to Napoleon is indicated by the gesture of placing his left hand inside his jacket, just like the Emperor.

However, following Napoleon’s fall from power in 1814 and the restoration of the monarchy, any overt evidence of loyalty to him would have been potentially damaging to both Norvins and Ingres, which led Ingres to make some changes. He added a length of red drapery to conceal what was probably a bust of Napoleon’s infant son, the King of Rome, which you can now see as a ghostly presence if you look closely at the left of the picture. As if to compensate for the lost bust, Ingres added a bronze sculpture of the Roman goddess, Minerva, on the right.

Key facts

Full title
Monsieur de Norvins
Artist
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Artist dates
1780 - 1867
Date made
1811-12
Medium and support
oil on canvas, mounted on wood
Dimensions
97.2 × 78.7 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1918
Inventory number
NG3291
Location
Room 38
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
19th-century French Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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