painted the portrait of Charles Marcotte, inspector-general of
waterways and forests. The senior civil servant is shown
three-quarters length, his head thrown back with a peevish frown.
Intelligence, self-assurance and a total lack of good grace emanate
from the man. Marcotte loved it. He recommended Ingres to his
relatives and to other French officials in Rome, among whom was
Jacques Marquet, Baron de Montbreton de Norvins.
Marcotte was born in Doullens in 1773. In 1819 he was sent by Napoleon as
Inspector General of Water and Foresty to the Papal States. In Rome, Marcotte>
became friends with numerous artists, but his most famous relationship was with Ingres, with whom he corresponded throughout his life. As well as several painting commissions, including Pope Pius VII in the Sistine Chapel and M. Marcotte, Ingres prepared at least fourteen portrait drawings of Marcotte's family. Marcotte was transferred from Rome to Holland in 1812, and in 1814 returned to Paris, where he spent the remainder of his career as an official in the Départments des Eaux et Forêts, retiring in 1836. In 1828 Marcotte married his niece, Louise Becquet de Layens; they had three children: Marie [1828-1920], later Mme. Alexandre Legentil, Joseph [1831-1893], and Louise-Marie-Chantal [1833-1873], later Mme. Hubert Rohault de Fleury. Marcotte died in 1864 at the age of ninety. His funeral oration, given by M. Vicaire, was published in the Revue des eaux et forêts (1864).