6 September 2018

More from Le Cimetière Père-Lachaise, Paris (75): #12: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres


Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) is so obviously famous – Le Bain turc, La Grande Odalisque, etc, that I prefer not to bother concentrating on Ingres's paintings. No, for me it's his unwitting contribution to the French lexicon that pleases me: the expression 'Violin d'Ingres', which alludes not to Ingres's most reputed activity, but to his spare time interest: playing the violin. It was a hobby rather than a bread winner, hence 'violin d'Ingres' now means just that: a hobby rather than a trade.

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