Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret

This portrait by French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres depicts the young count Amédée-David de Pastoret at 32 years old. One of several paintings he commissioned from Ingres, this portrait highlights the nobleman’s status and swagger. Posing confidently in his finest garments and wearing a medal of the Order of the Legion of Honor, he gazes directly at the viewer with a stern expression. Light glints off his gold ring and accentuates the exquisite detail of his sword’s hilt. Ingres enhanced the sumptuous elegance of this scene through elongated forms and skillful application of color, setting Amédée-David’s peachy flesh against a forest-green satin wall and curtain.