Portrait of Antoine Saint-Just

Portrait of Antoine Saint-Just, late 1700s

Where object was made: France

Material/technique: laid paper; chalk

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 36.5 x 28.7 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 3/8 x 11 5/16 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 23 1/4 x 19 1/4 x 1 1/4 in
Weight (Weight): 8 lbs

Credit line: Museum purchase: Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation

Accession number: 1989.0037

Not on display

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Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
Constance Mayer was one of the most celebrated women artists of Napoleonic France. She studied under artists Greuze, David, and Prud’hon, and exhibited frequently at the Salons in Paris. Among Mayer’s patrons was the Empress Josephine, who commissioned several paintings from the artist. Interestingly, many objects originally sold as works by Prud’hon have been reattributed to Mayer in recent years.

While the identity of the sitter in this portrait is not certain, the figure shows a remarkable likeness to written descriptions and paintings of the French Revolutionary figure Saint-Just, who was guillotined in 1794. Mayer’s pastel was probably produced shortly after his death.