Having studied first under Augustin Pajou and subsequently under Nicolas-Guy Brenet before entering the studio of Jacques-Louis David, Gérard inherited the formal rigour of Neoclassicism while gradually developing a more supple and sensitive visual language, particularly evident in his portraits of aristocratic sitters. Dubbed under the Empire “the painter of kings and the king of painters”, he swiftly became one of the most sought-after portraitists of his age, portraying sovereigns, aristocrats and leading European figures, from Napoleon I and Madame Récamier to Alexander I of Russia and Louis XVIII. Attentive to conveying the individuality of his sitters, Gérard played a significant role in reshaping the art of portraiture at the turn of the nineteenth century in response to the evolving tastes of the aristocracy.
The present work depicts Anne-Louise-Madeleine-Élisabeth de Montmorency (1771–1828), a member of one of the most distinguished families of the French aristocracy. In 1785, she married Alexandre de Rohan-Chabot (1761–1816), the future eighth Duke of Rohan, who emigrated in 1790 to join the Army of the Princes before returning to France during the Restoration. This commission reflects Gérard’s close ties with the Rohan family: in 1812 he had already painted the portrait of the Princess of Léon, the sitter’s daughter-in-law, and in 1825 he would execute that of Fernand, Prince of Léon, the second son of Alexandre. Another version of the present portrait is held in a private collection (ill.1), while a pastel copy is preserved at Ickworth House in Great Britain (ill.2).
Here, the Duchess is shown half-length in a pose of striking restraint, owing in particular to the sparse use of accessories. Gérard abandons the elaborate staging characteristic of state portraiture in favour of a more immediate and lifelike image. The Oriental-style turban enlivened with golden highlights, the red velvet dress with its puffed sleeves, and the delicate pearls adorning the sitter’s neck and ears nonetheless introduce a note of discreet refinement, reflecting the sophisticated taste of Restoration society.
The artist demonstrates his virtuosity above all in his treatment of materials, whether in the satin-like rendering of the cashmere shawl or in the exceptional delicacy with which the flesh is modelled. Equally subtle is the manner in which the young woman’s face emerges from the background, lightly suggested through soft rubbing effects, as though to focus the viewer’s attention upon the sitter’s features. Rather than asserting the social rank of his subject, the painter seeks to capture a quality of elegance and grace through the faintest of smiles, the gentleness of her gaze and the fluid poise of her head.
