Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009661Mme. Dufresne
About the Artwork
The artist made this sketch in preparation for a full-length portrait of Madame Dufresne that is now lost. Prud'hon showed the sitter—probably the wife of an art dealer—in a landscape where she is seated in a relaxed pose with her legs crossed. According to an early auction record, the composition is based upon one of several sketches Prud'hon made for a portrait of Empress Josephine (1763–1814). The empress probably rejected the pose as too casual. Prud'hon's portraits show his skill in capturing emotions, especially melancholy. This is true of the Cleveland portrait; despite its rough surface, we sense the sitter's gentle demeanor and slightly wistful expression. In 1789 Prud'hon was awarded the Prix de Rome, a scholarship that allowed especially gifted French art students the chance to study in Rome. While in Italy, Prud'hon was deeply influenced not only by ancient Roman art but also by the lively, international Neoclassical movement that was centered there. After his return to France, the artist became very popular with Napoleon, painting portraits of the emperor and his entourage and acting as Empress Josephine's drawing instructor.
Inscriptions
Inscription on face of frame: prud'hon. portrait de mme dufresne
Provenance
c. 1816 - 1823: Studio of the artist Probably 1823 - 1838: Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont [1773-1838], probably bequeathed to his daughter, Henri Power Probably 1838 - 1864: Probably Henri Power [d. 1864], probably to Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont fils Probably 1864 - 1870: Probably Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont fils 1870: (Boisfremont fils sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 9, 1870, no. 8, sold to Monsieur de Norzy) 1870 - by 1874: Monsieur de Norzy By 1874: M. Jeanne-Deslandes 1886: (Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 24, 1886, no. 52) By 1887: Collection Henri Rochefort [1831-1913], Paris Until 1908: Paul-Arthur Chéramy [1840-1912], Paris 1908: (Chéramy sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, May 5-7, 1908, no. 95, bought in) 1908-1912: Probably Paul-Arthur Chéramy [1840-1912], Paris 1913: (Chéramy estate sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 14-16, 1913, no. 391, sold to Jacob) 1913-: Jacob By 1922 - at least 1937: David David-Weill [1871-1952], Paris Probably until 1941: Irwin Laughlin [1871-1941], Washington, D.C. 1959: (Laughlin sale, Sotheby's, London, June 10, 1959, lot 123, possibly sold to Betts on behalf of Clifford Duits) 1963-1964: Severance A. [1895-1989] and Greta Millikin [1903-1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1964-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990). Pierre Paul Prud'hon. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-June 8, 1998).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823)
- Date
- c. 1816
- Medium
- oil on paper mounted on fabric
- Dimensions
- Framed: 34.5 x 27 x 5 cm (13 9/16 x 10 5/8 x 1 15/16 in.); Unframed: 23.8 x 17.5 cm (9 3/8 x 6 7/8 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Collection
- Accession no.
- 1964.292
More by Pierre Paul Prud'hon in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009661
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