The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Portrait of a Lady with an Elaborate Cartouche
1785
(Italian, 1750–1799)
Image: 36 x 35.9 cm (14 3/16 x 14 1/8 in.); Secondary Support: 39.1 x 38.7 cm (15 3/8 x 15 1/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1999.172
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The woman’s hairstyle in this drawing—cut short and frizzed at the front and sides, with loose curls in the back—was called à la hérisson, or "hedgehog style," and was fashionable during the 1780s.Description
The woman portrayed in the oval has not yet been identified, but she is made to look highly important by her rendition in profile, like an ancient Renaissance coin, and by the elaborate decoration surrounding the cartouche (the central area containing the portrait). Increasing her distinction, the flying male nudes personify Victory and Fame, while the crown, that of an English viscountess, indicates her nobility. The contrast in technique between the cartouche—composed of pen, ink, and watercolor—and the red-chalk portrait was purposefully emphasized to suggest that the portrait is an older "icon" of reverence. Giuseppe Cades was an important history painter and frescoist, known also for his decorative ensembles, whose influence can be detected in the decorative quality of this composition. This drawing combines the contemporary French Rococo style of the red chalk portrait with the antique-based, Italian style of the surrounding decorative figures and forms. A finished work rather than a preparatory study, it would have been made as a souvenir for the English tourist during her stay in Rome on the Grand Tour.- ?-1952Archibald George Blomefield Russell [1879-1955], London, (Lugt 2770a).1952(Exhibited at P. & D. Colnaghi, London, April 29-May 30 1952, cat. no. 43 (as Augustin de St. Aubin).)1985(Christie's, London, December 11-13, 1985, no. 183.)After 1985-1998Private collection.1998(Sotheby's, New York, January 28, 1998, cat. no. 60)probably 1998-1999(Thomas Williams Fine Art, Ltd, London, purchased by The Cleveland Museum of Art, Aug. 1999.)1999-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
- P. & D. Colnaghi & Co. Exhibition of Old Master Drawings. London: P. & D. Colnaghi & Co, 1952. Mentioned: cat. no. 43Christie’s. Important Old Master Drawings: Architectural and Decorative Drawings. London: Christie’s, 1985. Mentioned: p. 82 no. 183; Reproduced: p. 83.Caracciolo, Maria Teresa. Giuseppe Cades 1750-1799 et la Rome de son temps. Paris: Arthena, 1990. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 259 no. 69, pl. 9Sotheby’s. Old Master Drawings, including a drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, Christ and the Woman of Samaria. New York: Sotheby’s, 1998. Mentioned: p. 74 no. 60; Reproduced: p. 75.Cleveland Museum of Art, “Mrs. Paul Wurzburger Donates Major Calder Mobile to Cleveland Museum of Art, Korean Painting, Japanese Ceramic, Italian Drawing and other Works Acquired” September 8, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.orgCleveland Museum of Art, Diane DeGrazia, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 2000. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 28, pp. 76-77; p. 287
- Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).Exhibition of Old Master Drawings. P.&D. Colnaghi, London (April 29 - May 30 1952).
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of a Lady with an Elaborate Cartouche|url=false|author=Giuseppe Cades|year=1785|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.172