[3] The work shows the renowned painter, Raphael, sitting in his studio with his mistress, La Fornarina (the baker), on his knee.

[8] Towards the end of the eighteenth century, paintings depicting and glorifying the lives of prominent and famous artists became popular among the bourgeoisie and were exhibited at the Salon (Paris).

[2][9] Besides the increased interest in Renaissance masters during the early nineteenth century, Ingres became curious about Raphael's artworks and life after seeing a replica of the Madonna della seggiola in his teacher's Toulousian art studio.

[10] At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Ingres was awarded the Prix de Rome, which provided him with the opportunity to study in Italy.

[9] The critic and art historian Rosalind E. Krauss interprets the Fornarina's seductive gaze as indicating that she is embraced only after she has seen, appreciated, and admired his work.

[12] The Fornarina has a symmetric face, is wearing a turban scarf on her head, is dressed in a green velvet gown, and is adorned in gold jewellery.

[16] In the background there is a view of the Vatican, specifically showing the Cortile di San Damasco, where Raphael had painted his famous frescos, and which places the artist in the heart of Rome.

[18] On the one hand, the Fornarina's facial features and garments in both depictions resemble those of the Madonna della seggiola which makes the mistress appear saintlike.

[5] In Raphael's Madonna della seggiola, St. John is present on the right hand side, while in Ingres's version, he is not visible.

[10] The resemblance in features and pose, specifically the embrace between the Fornarina and Raphael, is similar to that of the Virgin Mary holding her son.

These images seem to amalgamate two different kinds of emotional response – sexual desire of male for female and reverential love of son for mother.

[1]Nineteenth-century biographers, such as Balzac, shaped their accounts of the mistress around their moral views, specifically that of the strict madonna-whore binary.

[9] In Le Roman d'amour de M. Inges, by Henry Lapauze, Ingres's and Raphael's relationships and encounters with women are contrasted and analyzed.

[22] By contrast, Ingres died at the age of 86 from a bilateral pneumonia, supposedly after being exposed to cold wind in efforts to help his wife.

[2] Rosalind Krauss disputes the theory that Ingres created various versions of his artwork for 'the pursuit of perfection', but says that:Through this movement of repeatability its 'perfection' has been breeched in advance.