John Singer Sargent - Incensing the Veil, 1880

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This is a vertical watercolor painting on paper. The central figure of this painting is a medium-dark-skinned person dressed in a long, white dress and a shawl over their shoulders that is held in place with two large, triangular colorful clips that are joined by a thin, dark line that appears to resemble thread. The figure’s sleeves have streaks of red and blue on them. On their head is what appears to be a cream, cone-shaped hat that is slightly wider than her shoulders. Over the hat, the person is wearing a large cream-colored veil that they hold back from the brim of their hat with both their hands. The figure is looking down at a colorful, round brazier on the floor. The figure stands on two decorative rugs; one blue, while the other a red, blue and black geometric pattern. Behind the figure is a light blue background, defined by the pencil outline of a white column on our right. Past the column on the right fades to the cream color of the paper.

John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)

Incensing the Veil, 1880

Watercolor on paper, 31.1 x 19.7 cm (12 1/4 x 7 3/4 in.)

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Commentary

This copy of an earlier oil painting (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA) is inscribed to Sargent’s friend Samuel Pozzi, who assembled one of the most important collections of Sargent’s work. Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased it after Pozzi’s death. The picture shows a Northern African woman inhaling the smoke of ambergris burning in the small brazier in front of her. The sweet-smelling incense was believed to ward off evil spirits and also served as an aphrodisiac.

Source: Oliver Tostmann and Anne-Marie Eze, The Inscrutable Eye: Watercolors by John Singer Sargent in Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection, exhibition on view in the Museum's Fenway Gallery, October 31, 2013–January 20, 2014.