Collections: European Art: Portrait of Madame Léon Maître (Portrait de Madame Léon Maître)

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Portrait of Madame Léon Maître (Portrait de Madame Léon Maître)

Fantin-Latour imbues his subject—the sister-in-law of a close friend—and her setting with an air of mystery. The painter distances Madame Maître from the viewer with an expanse of black silk, while her demure downward look avoids direct engagement. Trimmed with a froth of white lace ruffles and a bouquet of roses, Maître’s evening dress emphasizes her corseted waistline and eyedrawing, low neckline. The sparse furnishings and the raking light from above, which makes her ivory skin glow and heavy gold jewelry sparkle, suggest that the setting is the artist’s studio rather than a home. With one hand ungloved, the subject may be at either the beginning or the end of the sitting.


• Artist: Henri Fantin-Latour, French, 1836-1904
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1882
• Dimensions: 50 x 55 1/8 in. (127 x 140 cm) Frame: 62 x 67 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. (157.5 x 170.8 x 10.8 cm)
• Signature: Signed and dated upper right: "Fantin. 82"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 06.69
• Credit Line: Gift of A. Augustus Healy and George A. Hearn
• Image: Overall, 06.69_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836-1904). Portrait of Madame Léon Maître (Portrait de Madame Léon Maître), 1882. Oil on canvas, 50 x 55 1/8 in. (127 x 140 cm) Frame: 62 x 67 1/4 x 4 1/4 in. (157.5 x 170.8 x 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of A. Augustus Healy and George A. Hearn, 06.69 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 06.69_SL1.jpg)