Several people have asked me about my avatar recently and I thought that maybe I should dedicate a post to this wonderful painting by Ingres that graces my blog and appears everywhere I post. Acyually is is only part of it appears on the blog and it's only a part of the face that appears as my avatar so I thought of posting the entire painting here:
Isn't it lovely? Although I do love the painting - I think Louise de Broglie, Madame d'Haussonville, looks intelligent, elegant and I can't help but wonder what was she thinking while posing for the portrait - I have to confess that the person responsible for choosing a painting that I immediately identified with, is my good friend Alex. Apparently she knows me so well that we never tried an alternative. As soon as I saw this it was love at first sight. And she is also a very talented young lady, by now responsible for the webdesign of several blogs out there.
Louise de Broglie, Comtesse d'Haussonville (1818 - 1882) , comes from an illustrious french family. Great granddaughter of Jacques Necker and granddaughter of Madame de Stael, she marries in 1836 Joseph d'Haussonville, later Comte de Haussonville. Daughter, wife, sister and mother of members of the famous Academie Française, Louise was also of an intellectual nature and left several volumes of historical writings. She was 27 years old when this was painted in 1845.
So now you now whose face is it that appears whenever I post a comment somewhere. :-)
I can't take any credit, you use your template and avatar so well, it fits you like a glove.:)
ReplyDeleteIngres was always a favorite of mine, I even lived in a Ingres street a few years ago. My favorite painting is La Grande Odalisque:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Odalisque
I visit her every time I go to the Louvre.:)
Of course you should take credit! :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would have discovered her on my own...
La Grande Odalisque is a beautiful painting too!
If you ever come to Paris *hint hint*, we'll pay La Grande Odalisque a visit.;-) After we can just cross the street and go to Angelique's for the most delicious hot chocolate in all Paris. And no, I'm not trying to convice you to come here. At all.:P
ReplyDeleteOh dear that sounds heavenly... :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for offering!!
I've always thought you have such a lovely avatar! Thanks for helping us to learn about the painting it is taken from. It seems you are so lucky to have talented friends who know you very well. Congrats to Alex for the suggestions!
ReplyDeleteI knew Alex must have been behind it. LOL! She is so talented.
ReplyDeleteI love your avatar. She is a beauty.
Tasha from Heidenkind's Hideaway used this same avatar for a while and at first I got your real names confused! I also noticed that this painting is on the Barnes & Noble version of Austen's Emma. Lovely painting.
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