id: 123414 accession number: 1943.645 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.645 updated: 2023-08-23 20:21:13.085000 Portrait of a Man, possibly Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, 1814. Jean-Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767–1855). Watercolor on paper in a gilt metal mount and burr wood frame; framed: 23 x 17.7 cm (9 1/16 x 6 15/16 in.); unframed: 13.8 x 10.3 cm (5 7/16 x 4 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Edward B. Greene Collection 1943.645 title: Portrait of a Man, possibly Alexander I, Emperor of Russia title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 1814 creation date earliest: 1814 creation date latest: 1814 current location: creditline: The Edward B. Greene Collection copyright: --- culture: France, 18th century technique: watercolor on paper in a gilt metal mount and burr wood frame department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960 type: Portrait Miniature find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Jean-Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767–1855) - artist --- measurements: Framed: 23 x 17.7 cm (9 1/16 x 6 15/16 in.); Unframed: 13.8 x 10.3 cm (5 7/16 x 4 1/16 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: signed right: Isabey / à Vienne / 1814. translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America opening date: 1993-03-26T04:00:00 Intimate Images: Portrait Miniatures from Europe and America. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-October 17, 1993). title: Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives opening date: 2013-11-10T00:00:00 Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2013-February 16, 2014). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * Main Gallery Rotation (Gallery 202): January 25, 2010 - April 27, 2010. --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: digital description: This portrait miniature is believed to be Alexander I, emperor of Russia, painted during the Congress of Vienna, convened between September 1814 and June 1815 to establish the terms of peace in Europe following the Napoleonic Wars. Singers, actors, and artists flocked to entertain the delegates when they were not engaged in negotiations. Among these was French miniature painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey. He had been patronized by Marie Antoinette and the Bonaparte family but managed to retain a client base when the Bourbon kings were reinstalled. Isabey established a studio in Vienna and painted portraits and miniatures documenting the congress's delegates and attendees; he was so popular that carriages lined the street in front of his studio, which became a popular place to see the elite. Isabey signed many of his works from the congress "Isabey à Vienne," indicating that he understood the historical significance of the event. This portrait is inscribed in this way.v Emperor Alexander I did not participate directly as a delegate but was present in Vienna to ensure that his political interests were defended. Despite the lack of identifying medals, this portrait closely resembles other depictions of Alexander I by Isabey and his contemporaries, including Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830). These portraits all exhibit drooping eyelids, a long thin upper lip, and a slightly bulbous nose. The romantic atmosphere and perplexing lack of imperial accouterments in the miniature suggest that this work was a private memento for Alexander rather than an official record of his participation. wall description: --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Cleveland Museum of Art, and Edward Belden Greene. Portrait Miniatures ; The Edward B. Greene Collection. 1951. page number: Mentioned: p. 24, p. 36, cat. 70; reproduced plate XXXV url: https://archive.org/details/PortraitMiniatures --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.645/1943.645_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.645/1943.645_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1943.645/1943.645_full.tif