On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Léon Delafosse
John Singer Sargent American
Not on view
Admired by poet Robert de Montesquiou and author Marcel Proust, Léon Delafosse (1874–1955) was a brilliant French pianist, a sensitive interpreter of Frédéric Chopin and Gabriel Fauré, and a composer. Sargent promoted his career by engaging him to play at concerts at his London studio and encouraging his friends to do the same. Sargent sent this painting to an exhibition in Boston in 1899 in advance of Delafosse’s arrival there. He also sent a letter of introduction to Isabella Stewart Gardner, writing, "I am sure you will have the greatest pleasure in his wonderful talent, both as a composer and a virtuoso."
Delafosse’s handsome face emerges from the dark background and is set off by his elaborate necktie. His long elegant fingers—spread apart as if prepared to extend across a piano keyboard—suggest his proficiency.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
