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Madame X (Countess Anna-Elizabeth de Noailles)

ca. 1907
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800
Eyes half-open, Countess Anna-Elizabeth de Noailles, a Parisian poet, appears suspended in a state of tranquil reverie. The glowing, milky surface of her carved likeness, typical of Rodin’s late marbles, obscures the details of her coiffure and facial features. Displeased with these veiled forms—as well as the prominence given to her nose—the countess rejected the portrait. Three years later, the bust was purchased by the trustees of The Met from the sculptor’s studio with the title Madame X (Lady Unknown).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madame X (Countess Anna-Elizabeth de Noailles)
  • Artist: Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)
  • Sitter: Countess Anna-Elizabeth de Noailles
  • Date: ca. 1907
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed, largest dimensions): 19 1/2 × 21 3/8 × 19 in., 167 lb. (49.5 × 54.3 × 48.3 cm, 75.8 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910
  • Object Number: 11.173.6
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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