Baisemain
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 14 x 9.9 cm (5 1/2 x 3 7/8 in.) Mount: 14 x 9.9 cm (5 1/2 x 3 7/8 in.) Mat: 35.6 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.427
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Baisemain**, a captivating albumen silver print from a glass negative created by photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson on 1, 1893, features the glamorous Countess Virginia Oldoiniasis di Castiglione. intimate portrait captures the Countess extending her hand in a *baisemain*—the elegant French gesture of offering one's hand to be kissed—evoking aristocratic refinement and seductive allure. At 14 x 9.9 cm, the image's modest scale belies its commanding presence, showcasing the Countess's renowned beauty and theatrical poise. The Countess of Castiglione was a 19th-century icon, an Italian noblewo...
About the Artist
Pierre-Louis Pierson|Countess Virginia Oldoini Verasis di Castiglione · 1822–1913
Pierre-Louis Pierson (1822–1913) was a pioneering French portrait photographer whose career spanned the formative years of the medium. Born on December 13, 1822, in Hinckange in the Moselle department, Pierson developed an early fascination with photography during the 1840s, as the daguerreotype was still in its infancy. His early life and formal training remain sparsely documented, but by 1844, h...