Provenance

• 1891: commissioned by Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac (1855-1921) , Paris;
• 1894: delivered to the sitter;
• 1901: sold through Arnold Seligmann (1870-1932), Paris art dealer, to Richard Albert Canfield (1855-1914) , Providence, RI;
• 1914: bought by Knoedler's, New York dealers, 12 March 1914 (a/c # 13428);
• 1914: sold by Knoedler's to Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919) , New York;
• 1919: bequeathed to the Frick Collection.

In 1901 Montesquiou refused 50,000 francs for the portrait, but he had sold it by 14 December 1902 through Seligmann to the gambler (and collector) R. A. Canfield (whom Whistler described as 'the noble American') for 60,000 francs. 1

Whistler was deeply hurt when he heard that Montesquiou had sold his portrait and wrote bitterly to him:

'Bravo Montesquiou! -

et les belles parolles, et le legs au Musée du Louvre ont du céder aux Dollars Americains! -

"Nécessité Noblesse oblige!" -

et le portrait acquis en Poète, pour une chanson, est revendu en juif de la rue Lafitte, pour dix fois cet air là!' 2

That is, 'the portrait which you acquired as a poet, for a song, is resold ... for ten times that song!' To which Montesquiou replied that he had been unable to contact Whistler: 'C'est alors que j'ai cru pouvoir prendre une décision qui semblait assurer dignement l'avenir d'une très noble oeuvre d'art, en même temps que se concilier avec le respect dû à votre haute renommée.' ('This is why I believed I could take a decision that seemed to assure fittingly the future of a very noble work of art, whilst gaining the respect due to your high reputation.') 3

The portrait was sent to Whistler's studio, possibly with the idea of cleaning or touching it up, and from there, after Whistler's death, his sister-in-law R. Birnie Philip had it sent to the London dealer W. Marchant for delivery to Canfield. 4

Exhibitions

• Exposition Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Champ de Mars, Paris, 1894 (cat. no. 1186) as 'Noir er or; - portrait du comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac'.
• Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 39) as 'Arrangement in Black and Gold "Le Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac".'

It was well received in 1894. The Magazine of Art asserted that it was 'certainly the most remarkable oil-painting produced by [Whistler] of late years.' 5 Gustave Geffroy (1855-1926) in La Justice, 25 April 1894 called the portrait an enigma, a masterpiece, a painting worthy of a museum:

'C'est Whistler qui a été le portraitiste de ce raffiné, et rarement plus parfait accord fut réalisé entre un peintre et son modèle. L'artiste des Nocturnes et des Harmonies, l'auteur de si beaux portraits silencieux, l'évocateur d'apparitions féminines et d'expressions intellectuelles, devait être tenté, étant donné le dandysme qui est en lui, par le dandysme de M. de Montesquiou. ...

Le mélange de lumière et d'ombre enveloppe la silhouette, éclaire l'habit, voile la blancheur du gant ... C'est un singulier mélange, délicatement dosé de hardiesse et de finesse, d'ironie et de mélancolie. D'ailleurs, il en est de ce portrait comme de tous les beaux portraits. Il contient une somme d'énigme qui donnera sans cesse à rêver au spectateur. Quel est ce passant? où va-t-il? à quoi pense-t-il. Lorsqu'une peinture vous pose ces questions, vous poursuit, vous obsède par la réalité qu'elle affirme et le mystère qu'elle recèle, vous pouvez prévoir son pouvoir certain, la prolongation de sa destinée.'

(A free translation:)

'It was Whistler who was the portraitist of this refined sitter, and rarely has there been a more perfect agreement between a painter and his model. The artist of the Nocturnes and Harmonies, the author of such beautiful silent portraits, the evocation of feminine apparitions and intellectual expressions, was to be tempted, given the dandyism which is in him, by the dandyism of M. de Montesquiou.

The mixture of light and shadow envelops the silhouette, illuminates the dress, veils the whiteness of the glove ... It is a singular mixture, a delicate combination of boldness and finesse, irony and melancholy. Besides, this portrait is like all beautiful portraits. It contains an element of enigma that makes the spectator dream. Who is this passer-by? where is he going? what is he thinking? When a painting asks you these questions, pursues you, obsesses you with the reality it affirms and the mystery it conceals, you can foresee its absolute power, the prolongation of its destiny.'

Whistler was asked by David Croal Thomson (1855-1930) to make a lithograph of it for the Art Journal, and sent his sketch to Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913) on 6 July 1894, but was dissatisfied with the result. 6 He described his own lithograph as 'damnable ... and no more like the superb original than if it had been done by my worst and most incompetent enemy!' and it only showed, he said, 'the folly of proposing to produce the same masterpiece twice over!!' 7 He told Thomson, 'I was so bored to death with it that I had to give it up ... One cannot produce the same masterpiece twice over!! - I had no inspiration - and not working at a new thing from nature, I found it impossible to copy myself!' 8 It was finally 'passed', unenthusiastically, by the artist, for reproduction in the Art Journal. 9

Two other lithographs of the Montesquiou portrait, reproduced above, were by Whistler's wife Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896). 10 Whistler later described them as 'far more beautiful!' than his own. 11

The photograph reproduced above shows the painting on exhibition in Boston in 1904.