Image: public domain, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Madame X

John Singer Sargent, 1883–84

The sitter was Virginie Gautreau, a woman born in Louisiana who was famous in Paris for her striking style. The portrait caused an uproar at the 1884 Paris Salon, yet Sargent later called it the best thing he had done.

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Did you know?

Look for the small diamond crescent in her hair, the sign of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
At first one jewelled strap slipped off her shoulder; after the scandal Sargent repainted it in place.
Sargent painted her without a commission, hoping this striking portrait would make his name.
She rests one hand on a small table and holds a closed fan in the other.
In 1916 Sargent sold it to the Met for £1,000, asking that the sitter's name not be revealed.
An unfinished second version of the portrait is in Tate Britain in London.

About the artist

John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was born in Florence to American parents and worked in Paris, London and the United States.

He was the most sought-after portrait painter of his era, famous for Madame X and the glowing garden scene Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.

To catch the magic of dusk in that garden picture, he painted it for only a few minutes each evening over two summers, and on his travels he loved to fill sketchbooks with bright watercolors.

John Singer Sargent ›

Where it is today: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Museum page