Madame X

A society beauty stands in profile in a plain black gown, her powdered skin gone almost lavender, her chin lifted in cool disdain — and when Sargent first showed her, one jewelled strap had slipped from her shoulder, and Paris was outraged. The sitter’s mother begged him to withdraw it; he repainted the strap but the damage was done, and he left for London soon after. Time reversed the verdict entirely: the severe silhouette, the arrogant pose, the daring near-monochrome now read as one of the most elegant portraits ever painted. Sargent thought it the best thing he ever did. Scandal aged into perfection.

Maker

John Singer Sargent (1856 to 1925)

Date

1884

Medium of the original

Painting

Original held by

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Credit

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · via Wikimedia Commons

Rights

Public domain, verified

Catalogue number

PA-00641