One of the prominent artists of the 19th century is Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, the main representative of the classical tradition in French painting and an apologist for academicism principles. An opponent of Delacroix, he nevertheless used a curious approach to combine the academic tradition with its strictness and restraint of artistic language with the internal romantic burst, which gave rise to his line. His style both depicted subjects and transformed them, as if in the movement of the artist’s eye.

Ingres created the painting ‘Virgin with Chalice’ in Rome upon a commission by the heir to the Russian throne, future emperor Alexander II, after he arrived in Italy. Saints Nicholas of Myra and Alexander Nevskiy, included in the composition, represent patron saints of the crown prince of the Russian Empire and his father, Emperor Nikolay I. In this work, the artist was displaying an interest in the revival and preservation of the great traditions of classical art, primarily of the Italian Renaissance. 

Ingres’s favorite artist was Rafael, who was a model for the master’s creative pursuits. Rafael’s influence is found in the approach to this painting as well. The line, which is the primary expressive means of the artist, combines with the light and shadow and localized color scheme to create an idealized, spiritually elevated image.