Self-Portrait
Henri Fantin-Latour, ca. 1858
About this artwork
Henri Fantin-Latour's *Self-Portrait* (ca. 1858) offers an intimate glimpse into the young French artist's early career. Painted in oil on canvas—at a compact 10 x 7 7/8 inches originally—this modest-scale work captures Fantin-Latour at age 22, during a formative period in mid-19th-century Paris The canvas has been laid down on another for preservation, a common technique to stabilize aging supports, highlighting the careful stewardship of works like this in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings collection. As a self-portrait, it exemplifies the era's fascination with personal introspection amid the Realist movement, where artists like Fantin-Latour prioritized truthful depiction over idealization. His precise brushwork and subtle modeling reflect technical mastery honed in ateliers influenced by Ingres and Courbet. Acquired through the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection in 1995, this piece serves as a historical document, illuminating the materials and methods of Second Empire France while inviting viewers to ponder the artist's emerging voice in a vibrant cultural milieu.