''Portrait of Juliette Récamier'' is an oil-on-canvas painting by the French painter

François Gérard François Pascal Simon Gérard (, 4 May 1770 – 11 January 1837), titled as Baron Gérard in 1809, was a French painter. He was born in Rome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian. A ...

, created in 1802. It depicts the Parisian salonier

Juliette Récamier Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier (; 3 December 1777 – 11 May 1849), known as Juliette (), was a French socialite whose salon drew people from the leading literary and political circles of early 19th-century Paris. An icon of neoc ...

, a famous beauty of his time, in a classic pose, but with an unmistakable sensuality. The painting is held in the

Musée Carnavalet The Musée Carnavalet () in Paris is dedicated to the History of Paris, history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, ...

, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

History

Juliette Récamier (1777–1849), née Bernard, was the wife of the wealthy and much older banker Jacques Récamier (1751–1830). Since 1799 she held a popular salon in Paris for many years, which became an important meeting place for artists and intellectuals, many of whom were opponents of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. She was known for her beauty and was portrayed several times by various prominent painters. In 1800, the neoclassical painter

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

painted her in a classical pose and dress, with her reclined on a type of sofa that would later be named after her: a récamier. However, she was dissatisfied with what she thought was David's cold approach, and she commissioned instead his pupil

to make a new portrait of her. When he knew of this, David decided to leave her portrait unfinished.

Description

The artist portrays Récamier in a classic but equally natural environment, where the graceful curves of her figure and the nuances of her complexion blend with the shapes and colors of her surroundings. Her pose, with her body slightly contorted, her neck left uncovered by the wide neckline of her empire dress, which barely cover her breasts, and her bare feet, have an unmistakable erotic effect and seem new compared to other representations of women of the time. Here the eroticism is nuanced by the reflective facial expression of the sitter and the apparent quietness of the place, which could be a bathroom, protected from outside by a curtain. There is something thoughtful and intimate in Récamier's look, but at the same time it appears somewhat suggestive. The tension between the conflicting emotions seem to give the painting a kind of "aura".

Provenance

Gérard's portrait remained in Récamier's drawing room for several years, until she gave it to her admirer,

Prince Augustus of Prussia Prince Frederick William Henry Augustus of Prussia (; 19 September 1779 – 19 July 1843) was a Prussian royal and general. Born on Friedrichsfelde Palace, he was the youngest son of Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, the brother of King Fred ...

, in 1843. In 1860 it was acquired from his heirs by the

, in

.Portrait of Juliette Récamier, née Bernard, Musée Carnavalet (French)
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of Juliette Récamier 1802 paintings Paintings by François Gérard Paintings in the Musée Carnavalet 19th-century portraits Portraits of women