How Subtle Details Change Everything in This Problematic Painting

The enduring mystery of Madeleine’s portrait

“Portrait of Madeleine,” also known as “Portrait of a Black Woman” (1800) by Marie-Guillemine Benoist. Oil on canvas. 81 × 65 cm. Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Image source

In 1800, the French artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist painted this sensitive portrait of an unnamed woman. For two centuries, the painting was known as “Portrait of a Black Woman” until recent scholarship discovered the model’s actual name was Madeleine.

We see her seated, partially clothed in white with a red band around her waist, shoulders bare. She wears a crisp white headwrap that’s intricately knotted to leave a loose fold along the side of her face.

Her right breast is exposed. One hand appears to gather the dress towards her midriff, whilst the other rests across her lap. The chair she is sitting in is covered by a sumptuous blue cloth, the line of which echoes the curve of her right arm. The suggestion is of a comfortable, opulent location, although the background is anonymous.

Detail of “Portrait of Madeleine” (1800) by Marie-Guillemine Benoist. Oil on canvas. 81 × 65 cm. Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Image source

What might we say about her expression? She looks straight at us with a largely unreadable gaze. Stay for longer and we may also pick up a touch of inquisitiveness, with a hint of suspicion or disconcertion… or are we reading too much…