After at least six failed attempts to win the Rome Prize, which allowed French artists to study in the Italian capital, Couture rejected the academic path and forged an independent career. His exceptional skill as a draftsman was essential to his many large canvases, such as Romans of the Decadence, which caused a sensation at the 1847 Paris Salon. Couture described himself as a "militant and aggressive personality" and was proud that his self-portraits conveyed as much. This intimate example marks his turn from more time-consuming three-quarter-length studies to more focused portrayals.
An almost exact match for the present portrait is in the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie, Senlis (00.5.565), typically dated around 1850. Drawn in black and white chalk on blue paper, which was framed as an oval and consequently faded to brown, the drawing is annotated by the artist "T.C. / à son ami Albert de Lezay," dedicated to his former pupil who had a place in the royal household. Another version was with the Galerie de Bayser in Paris. The artist depicted himself on similar sheets at other stages during his career (Musée des beaux-arts, Nancy). These large sheets served as gifts to his friends, as the inscription on this drawing indicates.
Watermark: PDV.
Cohen, Karen B., former owner.