Sheet of Studies with the Head of the Fornarina and Hands of Madame de Senonnes

This intimate graphite drawing, "Sheet of Studies with the Head of the Fornarina and Hands of Madame de Senonnes," offers a fascinating glimpse into the working mind of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a pivotal figure in French Neoclassicism. Ingres, who lived from 1780 to 1867, considered himself primarily a history painter, yet it is his portraits—both painted and drawn—that are celebrated as his enduring legacy. Created around 1814, this sheet combines two distinct studies: the head of 'La Fornarina,' a legendary model associated with Raphael, and the elegant hands of Madame de Senonnes, a Roman noblewoman whose portrait Ingres painted. This juxtaposition reveals Ingres's meticulous approach to form and his deep reverence for past artistic traditions, particularly the High Renaissance master Raphael, even as he was working on contemporary commissions. His expressive distortions of form, visible even in these studies, would later influence modernists like Matisse and Picasso, cementing his unexpected role as a precursor to modern art.