Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1754–1838), Prince de Bénévent

Painting in frame: overall





Painting in frame: angled corner

Painting in frame: corner

Profile drawing of frame. W 6 7/16 in. 16.4 cm (T. Newbery)



Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Périgord (1754–1838), Prince de Bénévent
Artist:baron François Gérard (French, Rome 1770–1837 Paris)
Date:1808
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:83 7/8 x 57 7/8 in. (213 x 147 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Purchase, Mrs. Charles Wrightsman Gift, 2012

Talleyrand commissioned this elegant informal image after he resigned from his position as minister of foreign affairs to protest Napoleon’s continuing military ambitions. Gérard knew and received him personally in his studio: the imposing presence and unrevealing expression are typical. The insignia of the Legion d’honneur is embroidered on Talleyrand's coat and across his waistcoat is the red sash of the Grand Cordon of the order, awarded in 1805. He also wears the emblem of the Golden Fleece, presented to him at the Congress of Vienna, and added to the picture by Gérard in or after 1815.

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