Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

The artist, until 1862,
by whom given to Bernard Debia,
by descent to his daughter, Mme Emile Delmas, née Lucile Debia,
by descent to her son, Louis Delmas,
by inheritance to his cousin, Louis Vincent,
by descent to his son, Dr. Max Vincent,
by whose widow sold to Walter Feilchenfeldt, Zurich, 1967,
purchased by Mr. Harvey L. Karp, New York

Montauban, Hôtel de Ville, Exposition des Beaux-Arts, 1862, no. 564 (as Portrait de jeune fille);
Montauban, Hôtel de Ville, Exposition des Beaux-Arts, 1877, no. 377 (as Portrait de jeune fille)

H. Lapauze, Le Roman d'amour de M. Ingres, Paris 1910, p. 268 (mentioned by Ingres in an undated letter written from Rome by 1814);
P. Viguié, ‘Dans le sillage d'Ingres,’ Revue historique et littéraire du Languedoc, 1947, p. 232, no. 15;
H. Naef, ‘Ingres portraitiste de Letizia Murat’, Bulletin du Musée Ingres, December 1957, no. 3, pp. 14-15;
D. Ternois, Les dessins d'Ingres au Musée de Montauban, les portraits, vol. III, Paris 1959, no. 139, as Letizia Murat;
H. Naef, Die Bildniszeichnungen von J.-A.-D. Ingres, Bern 1977, vol. I, Chapter 41, pp. 389-90, no. 121, reproduced fig. 12; vol. IV, pp. 220-221, no. 121, reproduced

Hinge mounted. There is evidence of some slight discoloration to the edges as well as some small nicks and losses. There is a small hole in the lower centre of the sheet. The medium is fresh throughout this attractive work. Sold in a carved giltwood frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Born in 1805, the youngest child of Joachim Murat and Caroline Bonaparte, and niece of the Emperor Napoleon, Louise Julie Caroline Murat became Princess Louise in 1808 when her father succeeded to the title of King of Naples. 

We know from letters written by Ingres at the beginning of 1814 that he was working for "la reine de Naples," who had requested that he execute "tous les portraits, eux et les enfants."¹
Ingres seems to have fulfilled his commitments to the Queen as portraits of Caroline Murat and her sons Achille and Lucien, dated to 1814, are still in the Murat Collection, Paris, and two further portraits of her eldest daughter Letizia, one of which is dated 1813, can be found in the Fogg Art Museum² and the Musée de Montauban.³  A smaller head study of the King of Naples, dated 1814, was sold in Paris in 1993, and the present depiction of the Princess Louise at approximately nine years of age appears to be the final piece of the family commission.

Ingres' typically delicate handling results in a work in which beyond the formality of the sitter's pose and the indications of her dress and ruff, lies a sensitively executed face that exudes a certain innocence and elegance, simultaneously reflecting and belying Louise's young age.

1.  H. Naef, op. cit., 1977, p. 381
2.  Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass.; Inv. no. 1942.43
4.  Musée de Montauban, Inv. no. 867.343