Marie Augustine Roty, Wife of the Medalist 1880

This bronze plaquette is a portrait of Marie Augustine Roty, created by her husband, the artist Louis-Oscar Roty. While the exact date is unknown, the style and Roty’s career place it in the late 19th or early 20th century. During this period, the tradition of portraiture met new ideas about sentiment, marriage, and family. The image presents Marie in profile, her features softly rendered and framed by a simple headscarf. Inscribed below the image in Latin are words of love and devotion, which translate to “Your most dear face is truly fixed so that I may always have you before my eyes, always young and happy.” It speaks to a very gendered, and idealized vision of the feminine, as the object of male admiration. This piece suggests an intimate story of domesticity, love, and loss as we reflect on the power dynamics inherent in the marital bond. How does this portrayal of domestic bliss sit with us today?