Looking for something to do with the family this weekend? On Sunday afternoon, Norton Simon will host “Stories in the Afternoon: Look at Me” in honor of Jean-August-Dominique Ingres’s portrait, Comtesse d’Haussonville. Kids and adults can view the painting, look at other books of portraits and create their own portrait. The class is free with standard museum admission. Sounds like a great event for families who want to get out of the house without spending too much money (we just opened Christmas presents afterall).

The Basics:

Date : Sunday, December 27, 2009

Time : 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location: Norton Simon Museum (411 W. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena)

Admission: $8 for adults. Free for kids under 18.

Visit www.nortonsimon.org for more info.

About the Comtesse d’Haussonville

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867) left behind a rich and varied body of work created during his long life. While many of his most known paintings are historical and religious depictions, his series of portraits, many of them of well-born, beautiful women, are among his most captivating. Ingres began his portrait of Louise d’Haussonville (1818–1882) in 1842, when he was 62 and the comtesse was 24. The picture shows the lovely young woman standing before a hearth in a well appointed room, a mirror on the wall reflecting the back of her head and neck. She wears an elegant, Delft-blue silk dress, its folds and details resplendent, a few pieces of gold jewelry, and an ornate red ribbon and tortoiseshell comb in her hair. One arm rests across her waist, the other is bent upward, and her hand is tucked under her chin. The comtesse looks directly ahead, and her slight smile and open expression invite the viewer into this lovely scene.

“Her contemplative pose, with hand to chin, is a motif Ingres revisits time and time again in portraits, history paintings, and surviving sketches,” says Carol Togneri, Chief Curator at the Norton Simon Museum. “The opportunity to have this beautiful portrait, as well as two working drawings that show his interest in this important detail, allows us to consider Ingres’s relationship and homage to antique art.”

Click here to read more.

Photo Courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum

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