Portrait of Emilie Henriette Massmann, Betrothed of Frederik Wilhelm Caspar von Benzon
C.W. Eckersberg (Danish, 1783–1853)
1820
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 53.5 cm, width 43.5 cm, height 65.7 cm, width 56 cm
- Culture
- Danish
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
Even though Eckersberg never mentioned Ingres, he would certainly have seen works by him in Rome, and this portrait was undoubtedly influenced by the French painter. However, it would be rash to point to just one source of inspiration. It is likely that Eckersberg absorbed inspiration from several different paintings, and when he had the opportunity – such as when Miss Massmann sat for him – he used his sitter’s appearance to create sophisticated, exquisite lines similar to those he would have seen in Ingres. This gives this portrait a unique position among Eckersberg’s portraits. The woman’s cool, reserved gaze also helps to place the portrait in a league of its own within Eckersberg’s art
