The subject of Ingres's Princess de Broglie is looking at us as we gaze up from a slightly lower viewpoint. This elevates her figure, which suited her station. She knows we are there, but her eyes look as if her mind may be elsewhere. The jewelry she wears is obviously high quality and there is an abundance of lace and satin in her dress and head ornament. The furniture is richly upholstered and the scarf on the chair appears to be embroidered in gold. This lady was ot poor.
The color balance of warm and cool is very pleasant, and the peach flesh tones give the subject a lovely glow. The portrait appears bright, even showing the wall panel slightly illuminated behind her, and showing an interesting ornament that appears to be a crowned lion, perhaps a royal crest. Still the subject dominates the canvas vertically, and is centered horizontally. Her dress and the chair create a lovely poufy base on which her arms seem to rest.
The brush strokes are so smooth they are invisible, almost air brushed, and the princess looks almost as if she is made from the finest smooth porcelain. Her face is perfectly symmetrical with warm deep set eyes and generous brows, a perfectly straight nose (possibly a little long), and a perfect rosebud mouth in a serene smile. The scene is well lit and...
Her cheeks show a round rosiness of health and the shadow on her right only makes her neck appear more lovely. She seem a bit amused, perhaps daydreaming, and the hairnet which falls from her ribbons makes her appear haloed, almost angelic.
In comparing the two portraits, we can see that the artist though well of the subject in both. Rembrandt's woman does not use as much color, and is much darker, but seems more realistic. Ingres's princess seems almost like a vision or a doll, not quite real, even though the smoother brush strokes make her skin appear softer and more alive. The cooler colors of Ingress's portrait make the subject seem more distant, less accessible than the intimate woman with a pink. The placement of the subjects contributes to how we perceive the distance between us and them. Rembrandt's woman is slightly chiseled with strong brush strokes while Ingres's is sift and smooth, like the satin of her dress. Both women would still be considered natural beauties, and were members of the higher class. While Rembrandt's is darker, it is also warmer, using no cool colors. The balance of cool and warm in Ingres's portrait lands an air of quiet mystery to the subject. Rembrandt's woman seems more real next to the almost saintly princess.
