John Singer Sargent · 1884
Portrait of Madame X
Posters from $15 · Canvas from $39
Sargent's scandalous Paris society portrait of Virginie Gautreau — the pale skin, plunging black gown, and a fallen shoulder strap that ended Sargent's Paris career and made him an American legend.
Up to 9 × 16 in · portrait
Size
Larger sizes are unavailable for this painting because the source scan's resolution wouldn't print at gallery quality.
Format & finish
Archival cotton canvas stretched over a wooden frame. Ready to hang as-is. No external frame.
Scale next to a 5'10" person
+ tax at checkout
The story of Portrait of Madame X
Madame X or Portrait of Madame X is an 1884 portrait painting by John Singer Sargent of a young socialite, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, wife of the French banker Pierre Gautreau. Madame X was painted not as a commission, but at the request of Sargent. It is a study in opposition. Sargent shows a woman posing in a black satin dress with jeweled straps, a dress that reveals and hides at the same time. The portrait is characterized by the pale flesh tone of the subject contrasted against a dark-colored dress and background. The dress was originally painted with one of the straps hanging off her shoulder, but after a negative response from viewers he repainted it to secure it over her shoulder.
Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. His oeuvre documents worldwide travel, from Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, Capri, Spain, the Middle East, Montana, Maine, and Florida.
All John Singer Sargent prints →Biography adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
You may also like
John Singer Sargent · 1885–86
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
Mini · Petite · Small
From $15
James McNeill Whistler · 1871
Whistler's Mother
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium
From $15
Édouard Manet · 1863
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium
From $15
Édouard Manet · 1863
Olympia
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium
From $15
Jean-François Millet · 1857
The Gleaners
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium
From $15
Jean-François Millet · 1857–59
The Angelus
Mini · Petite · Small · Medium
From $15