Miniature after Jules Joseph Lefebvre

Art

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Neill-Cochran House Museum

Name/Title

Miniature after Jules Joseph Lefebvre

Context

This enameled copper miniature in the Neoclassical style, and therefore inspired by antiquity, represents a woman’s profile. The square golden frame with ornaments at the top is in the Louis XVI style. Bearing a golden stand on the back for display, as well as a golden hoop to be hung on the wall, the frame bears a double functionality. The lower right corner is signed “Lefebvre”. This small-format portrait is inspired by the work of the French artist Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911), who is known for meticulously executing portraits of women in a style that combines elements of neoclassicism and romanticism. The woman depicted is wearing a laurel wreath on her head, a symbol of triumph in Ancient Greece and Rome but also attribute of the Greek god Apollo, patron of lyrical poetry. The laurel wreath is also present in the frame’s ornament. The woman represented could be the Archaic Greek poet Sappho from the island of Lesbos, known for her lyric poetry. Viewed in profile, the sitter’s luminous features stand out against the muted backdrop. The choice of representing her profile is another reference to antiquity, and more specifically to the profile heads of emperors on Roman coins or medallions. Profile portraits emphasize the contour of the subject’s face. By revealing only its essential elements, they accord a certain nobility to the person depicted. Moreover, the profile portrait refers to the myth of the invention of drawing and portraiture. The Roman author Pliny the Elder recounts in his “Natural History” that the first portrait in history was created by a woman from Corinth who traced the profile of her lover on a wall before he departed on a journey abroad so she could remember him. At last, the very fair skin of the woman, could be an inspiration of antique sculptures and their white marble finish.

Acquisition

Accession

2000.01

Source or Donor

Robert E. and Millicent Louise McDonald

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist

Jules Joseph Lefebvre, 1836-1911 (after)