1881, John Singer Sargent, Dr. Pozzi at Home -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: The charismatic Samuel Jean Pozzi (1846-1918) was an aesthete and collector, and renowned as a distinguished surgeon and pioneer in the field of gynecology. Sargent seems to have been captivated by him, describing him to Henry James as a "very brilliant creature.” He depicted Pozzi informally yet boldly-an elegant dandy at home in a vivid dressing gown against a lush velvet curtain. His handsome face and graceful hands are set off by his crisp white collar and cuffs. While Pozz's red attire may reference the ceremonial dress of French medical faculty, it also evokes old master images of royalty and clergy. Yet, Sargent also subverted portrait conventions that traditionally showed men in the public sphere in formal dress, to create a work of remarkable sensuality that blurs the boundaries between public and private personae.
1881, John Singer Sargent, Dr. Pozzi at Home -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: The charismatic Samuel Jean Pozzi (1846-1918) was an aesthete and collector, and renowned as a distinguished surgeon and pioneer in the field of gynecology. Sargent seems to have been captivated by him, describing him to Henry James as a "very brilliant creature.” He depicted Pozzi informally yet boldly-an elegant dandy at home in a vivid dressing gown against a lush velvet curtain. His handsome face and graceful hands are set off by his crisp white collar and cuffs. While Pozz's red attire may reference the ceremonial dress of French medical faculty, it also evokes old master images of royalty and clergy. Yet, Sargent also subverted portrait conventions that traditionally showed men in the public sphere in formal dress, to create a work of remarkable sensuality that blurs the boundaries between public and private personae.