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JEAN AUGUSTE DOMINIQUE INGRES. Alexander the Great presenting Campaspe to Apelles

Alexander the Great presenting Campaspe to Apelles. Artist: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (French, Montauban 1780-1867 Paris). Dimensions: Sheet: 11 3/8 × 14 1/8 in. (28.9 × 35.9 cm). Date: 1810.
Executed during his last year as a student at the French Academy in Rome, Ingres takes the subject of this drawing from Pliny's Natural History of 77 A.D. Alexander the Great, who stands at center, had commissioned Apelles to paint a portrait of his favorite mistress, Campaspe. Over the course of the sittings, Apelles fell in love with his subject. As a sign of his esteem, Alexander then offered Campaspe to the painter; it is this moment of exchange that Ingres chose to represent. With her arm supported by the king, Campaspe steps off a small pedestal. She gazes across at Apelles who, with a paintbrush between his fingers, kisses the king's hand in gratitude. The frieze-like nature of the composition suits the antique subject. Ingres never pursued the subject in paint, so this drawing is his most advanced version of the composition, probably intended as a finished work in itself.

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Author:

JEAN AUGUSTE DOMINIQUE INGRES (1780-1867)

Title:

Alexander the Great presenting Campaspe to Apelles

Caption:

Alexander the Great presenting Campaspe to Apelles. Artist: Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (French, Montauban 1780-1867 Paris). Dimensions: Sheet: 11 3/8 × 14 1/8 in. (28.9 × 35.9 cm). Date: 1810. Executed during his last year as a student at the French Academy in Rome, Ingres takes the subject of this drawing from Pliny's Natural History of 77 A.D. Alexander the Great, who stands at center, had commissioned Apelles to paint a portrait of his favorite mistress, Campaspe. Over the course of the sittings, Apelles fell in love with his subject. As a sign of his esteem, Alexander then offered Campaspe to the painter; it is this moment of exchange that Ingres chose to represent. With her arm supported by the king, Campaspe steps off a small pedestal. She gazes across at Apelles who, with a paintbrush between his fingers, kisses the king's hand in gratitude. The frieze-like nature of the composition suits the antique subject. Ingres never pursued the subject in paint, so this drawing is his most advanced version of the composition, probably intended as a finished work in itself.

Technique/material:

Graphite, brush and brown wash

Museum:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Credit:

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Releases:

Model: No - Property: No
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Image size:

3983 x 3243 px | 37.0 MB

Print size:

33.7 x 27.5 cm | 13.3 x 10.8 in (300 dpi)

Keywords:

DRAWINGS AND PRINTS • DRAWINGS • GRAPHITE • GRAPHITE, BRUSH AND BROWN WASH • JEAN AUGUSTE DOMINIQUE INGRES • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA