Bust of Minerva

This study of a bust of Minerva set into a niche is related to Reunion of Artists, Boilly’s famous group portrait of contemporary artists, sculptors, and architects gathered in the studio of Jean-Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767–1855). The bust was part of a stylish up-to-the-minute décor designed by Charles Percier (French, 1764–1838) and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine (French, 1762–1853), the leading architects of the period. Indeed, Jean-Baptiste Isabey’s studio was featured in no fewer than five plates from their influential publication Recueil de décorations intérieures (1812) and embodied an up-to-the-moment style that was integral to the painting’s articulation of the artist’s place in society. In the finished work, Percier and Fontaine stand together, admiring a drawing just below the oversize statue.