A seemingly simple painting yet composed like an enigma: The portrait of Madame Duvaucey painted by the French neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1807. Who was this lady? One detail in particular links this painting to events much further back than it seems. The model’s diamond ring.

This story is a journey between East and West, a succession of events, desires and, at times, dramas that led to such a valuable diamond ring being placed on Madame Duvaucey’s forefinger in 1807.