Provenance:
• France, private collection
Bibliography:
• V. P. Cameron, *Portrait of a Musician by Pauline Auzou*, in *The Currier Gallery of Art*, no. 2, Manchester, 1974
• Clement-Hemery, *Souvenirs de 1793 et 1794*, Cambrai, 1832
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On a large sheet of blue paper, characteristic of Mme Auzou’s drawn works, appears the profile of a young woman, whose soft, rounded treatment conveys a sense of gentleness and innocence. Like her master, Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754–1829), Auzou specialised in portraiture. The numerous study sheets she produced reveal the great attention she paid to capturing the psychological depth of each of her models, which served as references for her painted works. The face of this young woman can easily be compared to that of Daria in her masterful painting *Daria or Maternal Terror* (ill. 1), which the artist presented at the Salon in 1810.
In this drawing, the profile is deliberately left unfinished. The artist focuses on authenticity, free from any embellishment. Her goal is to render the subject’s expression with the utmost accuracy. The model appears to have been caught spontaneously, as if reacting to something happening to her left.
The remarkable quality of this sheet is further emphasised by the presence of a second drawing on the reverse, enhanced with coloured pastel. In this second study, the artist sketches the silhouette of a young woman standing in a half-length pose, leaning on what seems to be the back of a chair. The model gazes upward, as if imploring the heavens. The melancholic features of her face evoke those of the most distinguished profiles of the early 19th century, including Caroline and Pauline, sisters of Napoleon Bonaparte. Indeed, following her success at the Salon, Auzou gradually received commissions from the imperial family. In 1810, she proudly exhibited a work entitled *The Arrival of Empress Marie-Louise at Compiègne on 28 March* (ill. 2).
While studying the female profiles of the Bonaparte family, it is highly plausible that the artist reused her sketches as references for certain figures in her paintings. Princess Pauline, in particular—an iconic beauty immortalised by numerous artists, including Antonio Canova (1757–1822)—bears striking similarities to our model. Her evident grace left a lasting impression on her contemporaries (ill. 3). She is depicted wearing a delicate veil in the fashion of ancient Vestals and a light, low-cut Empire-style dress, simply cinched below the bust. One can imagine the young woman draping her shoulders with the red cashmere shawl on which she rests her elbow.
Trained in a prolific studio and exhibiting at the Salon until 1817, Auzou later shared her talent with younger artists by establishing her own atelier, which she directed for nearly 20 years.
M.O
