← John Singer Sargent

Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau)

Original title: Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau)

Artist

John Singer Sargent

Date

1883–84

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

82 1/8 × 43 1/4 in. (208.6 × 109.9 cm) Framed: 95 3/4 × 56 5/8 × 5 in. (243.2 × 143.8 × 12.7 cm)

Credit line

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 (16.53)

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike the usual society portraits of his time, John Singer Sargent’s likeness of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau relies on a dark, almost monochrome palette. The painter created the work in 1883–84 in oil on canvas. It shows the New Orleans-born, Paris-based society lady in an elegant black dress that stands out against a deep brown background.

Description

Upright and turned slightly to the left, the figure stands with a gentle smile on her lips. A jewel adorns her swept-up hair, and a veil covers the black gown. Both hands rest on a low tabletop with a delicate metal frame. The background is uniformly dark brown, while light falling from the left emphasizes contours and fabric textures.

Context

Sargent portrayed the American Virginie Gautreau, revered in Parisian society as a style icon. When the painting was shown at the Paris Salon in 1884, the pose and the deep neckline caused a scandal. Later Sargent changed the dress strap and sold the picture in 1916 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Impact

A cool elegance and detached self-assurance emanate from the portrait, reinforced by its monumental dimensions and the dark background. The subtly graded lighting gives the likeness an almost sculptural presence.

Technique

Executed in oil on canvas, the work combines realistic painting with impressionistic touches in its soft coloring and lighting. With fine brushstrokes Sargent captured the texture of the fabric and the sheen of the skin.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)