Skip to Content
Closed today, next open tomorrow. Closed today, next open tomorrow.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue Closed
  • Wed 11–5
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret

Portrait of white man dressed in all black with medallion and sword.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • Portrait of white man dressed in all black with medallion and sword.

Date:

1823–26

Artist:

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780-1867)

About this artwork

This portrait of Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret, is one of several artworks he commissioned from his friend Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Pastoret likely played a role in Ingres’s admission to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and here he is seen wearing the embroidered black uniform reflective of his role as auditor for the Council of State. The shimmering Legion of Honor medal hung high around his neck with a red ribbon and the exquisitely detailed golden sword hilt alleviate the somber darkness of his costume. Pastoret stands outlined against forest-green silk wallpaper and a swag of matching drapery, with one hand resting on his hip and the other thumb tucked casually into his jacket. With confidence and swagger—and a less-than-subtle air of disinterest—Pastoret stares directly at the viewer with the grandeur typical of Ingres’s aristocratic portraits.

This painting stayed with Pastoret’s family until the death of his daughter in 1890, and in 1897 it was purchased by the famed Impressionist painter Edgar Degas. Ingres was a consistent source of artistic inspiration for Degas, himself a portraitist who owned some twenty paintings and over eighty drawings by the older artist. Degas kept this likeness of Pastoret in his art collection until his own death in 1917.

Status

On View, Gallery 220

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Title

Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1823–1826

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

103 × 83.5 cm (40 1/2 × 32 3/4 in.); Framed: 129.6 × 110.2 cm (51 × 43 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Estate of Dorothy Eckhart Williams; Robert Allerton, Bertha E. Brown, and Major Acquisitions funds

Reference Number

1971.452

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111317/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms