2-742-419 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Study of Hands, 1842. At the height of his fame, Ingres received an important commission from King Louis-Philippe. When the Duke of Orléans was killed in a carriage accident at the age of 32, King Louis-Philippe bought the land surrounding the site in order to have a chapel built to commemorate his eldest son. The king personally requested that Ingres be the sole artist responsible for the designs for the chapel's stained glass windows. The study of hands in an attitude of prayer relates to the window composition for Saint Rosalia, and the study of clasped hands in the lower left relate to Saint Amelia. The gentle rhythm created by the arrangement of hands on the sheet and subtle, sensitive modeling confirm Ingres as a master of draftsmanship.