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Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles
1884
One of the most sought-after portraitists working in Europe and the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, John Singer Sargent created paintings that epitomize the era’s glamour and elegance, as well as its excesses. Sargent’s life-size portrait of Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d’Espeuilles, captures his Parisian subject’s icy poise. The dark, indeterminate ground, combined with Sargent’s use of theatrical light effects, accentuates the textures of her gown and wrap.Â
The marquise’s brown satin wrap has partially slipped off, exposing her pale shoulders and slender neck. This seductive hint of flesh recalls Sargent’s notorious Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau), which caused a public scandal when Sargent exhibited it at the 1884 Paris Salon.
- Artist
- John Singer Sargent (American, born Italy, 1856–1925)
- Title
- Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles
- Date
- 1884
- Place of Creation
- France
- Object Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 62 7/8 x 41 3/8 in. (159.7 x 105.1 cm); Frame: 72 3/4 x 51 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (184.8 x 130.8 x 8.9 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd
- Accession Number
- 1979.7.90