Up Close: Sargent's Fumée d'ambre gris

Fumée d'ambre gris 1880, is one of John Singer Sargent's most interesting paintings.

It and some outstanding works by Sargent and others can be seen at the Clark art museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts at the northwest corner of the state.

Here is what the Clark website has to say about the painting.

Below are some photos I took in September using my iPhone. The room where Fumée and the other stars of the collection are displayed was too dark for my regular camera to take photos without the (prohibited) flash.

Click on images to enlarge.

Gallery

Image of the painting found on the Internet.

As seen in the museum. The size of the plaque at the right offers a sense of the scale of the painting.

Zooming in a little.

Closer ...

Showing the woman's face and arms. This area of the painting is not large -- a little more than a foot (30 cm) wide.

The source of the fumes. Note the extreme-perspective treatment of the rug pattern and floor tiles: not something he simply dashed off.