The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Madame Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, later Princesse de Bénévent (née Noël-Catherine Verlée, 1761–1835)

François Gérard, called Baron Gérard (French, Rome 1770–1837 Paris). Gérard, a student of Jacques-Louis David, was "premier peintre" to Napoleon's wife, the empress Joséphine. Because of the official nature of much of his work, it is rarely seen outside of France. This portrays one of the celebrated beauties of her time, Catherine Verlée (1762–1835). By the age of fifteen she had seduced her future husband, the Englishman George Francis Grand, an employee of the Indian civil services (as Madame Grand she was portrayed by Vigée Lebrun in an oval portrait displayed in this gallery). This was the first of a series of liaisons that culminated in her becoming the mistress and then the wife of Talleyrand, whose portrait by Prud'hon hangs nearby. Talleyrand tired of his pretty but frivolous wife, whom he had sent away in 1817. After residing in London and Brussels, she returned to Paris, where, separated from her husband, she lived a quiet and devout life.

Dress, Evening

Callot Soeurs (French, active 1895–1937)

In the Directoire revival, the waistline was raised in the manner of a century earlier, but with corsetting that had the vestiges of the monobosom. Perhaps even more importantly, the silhouette reflects Europe's examination of Eastern dress, the softness, raised waist, and lower bust stance suggesting "ukiyo-e" prints and other Japanese style.

Madonna and Child with Angels

Antonio Rossellino (Italian, Settignano 1427–1479 Florence)

Antonio Rossellino was among the most gifted sculptors of his generation, and his reliefs of the Virgin and Child are justly celebrated. This example, carved from mottled brown marble about 1455–60, is particularly successful. The Virgin sits on an elaborate throne, with scrolled armrests projecting in high relief. Both she and the Christ Child in her arms seem strangely subdued, perhaps contemplating Christ's future suffering. The protective, caressing gesture of the Virgin's left hand is especially poignant.
The surface is richly contoured and decorated, and the concern for finish extends to the background, which is enlivened by the heads and feathery wings of seraphim. Typical of painters of the period is the sculptor's attention to ornamental detail: the fringe of the Virgin's mantle, the haloes, and the strands of hair of both Virgin and Child are delicately highlighted with touches of gilding.

Vase

Sèvres Manufactory (1740–present)

At the end of the nineteenth century French potters were strongly influenced by the naturalistic forms and variegated glazes of Asian ceramics. In 1900 at Sèvres, Léon Kann designed a number of gourd-shaped vases. The mellifluous lines and subtly graded coloring of this example merge an Asian aesthetic with the last flowering of the Art Nouveau style. A gentle spiral movement is sustained by the curve of the flowering vine and the artful placement of the snails.