Widely regarded as the greatest portrait painter of the nineteenth century and one of the most brilliant draftsmen of all time, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867) dominated French painting for over half a century and left an enduring legacy, inspiring artists such as Cézanne, Degas, Matisse, and Picasso. "Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch" is a major international loan exhibition of his portraits, the largest ever presented outside France. The forty paintings and ninety-two drawings on view offer a virtual Who's Who of the ruling elite in France—the aristocracy of birth, beauty, politics, wealth, and intellect. They document an epoch in French history that began with the Consulate and Empire and lasted through the restoration of the Bourbons, the reign of King Louis-Philippe, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III. This online feature presents sixteen portraits from the exhibition, together with illuminating details of each portrait and related works from the exhibition and the Metropolitan's permanent collection. It is a compelling demonstration of Ingres's ability to represent on paper and canvas, with unsurpassed skill and psychological penetration, individuals from his own milieu and French society at large. His work introduces us to artists and emperors, bankers and businessmen, women of privilege and even the heir to the throne. Select a face that intrigues you on the object menu, and follow the details to a greater understanding of the politically and socially tumultuous epoch to which Ingres and his sitters belonged. Object Menu

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