While browsing through Chriestie's upcoming auctions, I came across this painting. The painting is valued around 1,500,000 - 2,500,000 U.S. dollars and goes on auction Nov 30th, 2006.
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Mildred Carter
signed 'John S. Sargent' (upper left)
oil on canvas
40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm.)
Painted in 1908.
Larger Image here
Some history....
Painted in 1908, at the height of John Singer Sargent's preeminence as a superb society portrait painter, Mildred Carter is a perfect example of the work that brought him unparalleled public acclaim until the end of his career.
Mildred Carter was the daughter of American diplomat John Ridgeley Carter, who Sargent painted in 1901 (private collection), and Alice Morgan Carter. Mildred married Viscount Acheson in 1910, becoming Countess of Gosford on her husband's accession to the title as fifth Earl in 1922. In her portrait, Sargent depicts her in a silky white dress with a diaphanous tulle shawl and a luxurious red and green Japanese robe. Sargent skillfully juxtaposes rich, tactile fabrics with the smoothness of her porcelain-like skin. The artist illuminates Mildred Carter's face, highlighting her delicate features and at the same time adeptly capturing the sparkle of the brooch in her hair and the luster of her pearl bracelet.
As in Sargent's best portraits, the sitter projects a forceful presence, combined with a quality of elegance and social ease. The composition is in itself straightforward, consisting of a three-quarter length depiction of Mildred Carter. To this, Sargent has added many of the refinements of technique that mark this as one of his classic works of portraiture, particularly the sitter's engagement with the viewer, her luminescence and the dashing brushwork with which the artist paints her extraordinary gown and robe. The influence of Grand Manner portraiture, by artists such as Vel