The Actress Sarah Bernhardt

The greatest star of the era was the French actress Sarah Bernhardt. “The Divine Sarah”, as she was called, is reputed to have posed 40 times before Bastien-Lepage had completed the final version of this portrait, which was shown at the Salon in 1879. The sittings took place in the apartment of the actress on rue Fortuny in Paris. In the final portrait, Berhardt is looking down at a statuette of Orpheus – an allusion to her profession, her voice, and her efforts as an amateur sculptress. This painting is thought to be a preparatory study. Many Nordic painters regarded Bastien-Lepage as their great ideal in French painting. He died of cancer, aged only 36.

Credit: Gift 1945 director Thorsten Laurin through Nationalmusei Vänner