At the Paris Salon of 1884, a portrait caused an uproar.
It was John Singer Sargent’s Madame X (Virginie Gautreau). The public was shocked not by her nudity, but by her haughty sexuality. And the center of this storm was a detail that seems trivial today: a jeweled shoulder strap.
The Diamond Crescent
Before we talk about the strap, look at her hair.
Perched on top of her profile is a small diamond crescent.
- Symbolism: The crescent is the attribute of Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon.
- Irony: Diana was a virgin goddess. Virginie Gautreau, however, was a notorious socialite known for her beauty and her affairs. By crowning her with Diana’s crescent, Sargent was making a bold statement: she is a “huntress” of men, a predator in the Parisian social jungle.
It is a subtle, sharp detail that complements her razor-sharp profile and her pale, lavender-powdered skin.
The Slipping Strap
In the original version of the painting, the right jeweled strap of her black velvet gown had slipped off her shoulder.
This was too much for the Parisian audience. It suggested undress, a lack of control, a moment of intimacy made public. It turned a portrait into a pin-up.
Critics called it “monstrous.” Gautreau’s mother begged Sargent to take it down. The scandal was so intense that Sargent eventually repainted the strap to sit securely on her shoulder (which is how we see it today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art).
The Power of Black and Diamonds
Even with the strap fixed, the painting remains powerful.
The jewelry here is minimal but essential. The diamond straps and the crescent provide the only sparkle in a composition dominated by the deep black of the dress and the stark white of her skin. They emphasize the artificiality of her beauty—she is a work of art she created herself.
Conclusion
Madame X is a masterpiece of tension. The diamond crescent declares her power; the strap (even the fixed one) hints at her vulnerability to scandal. Sargent captured not just a woman, but the dangerous edge of high society, where beauty is a weapon and reputation is fragile as glass.
