Mlle. Victorine in the Costume of an Espada””

Description

Victorine stands full length in an elaborate jacket and cap, extending one arm toward the left while a bullfighting scene appears farther behind at the right. Her adopted costume gives the portrait a deliberately performed identity rather than documenting her as a practicing bullfighter. Manet joins a particular sitter with a role and setting, making presentation part of the image’s meaning.

Dated 1862, the work combines etching, aquatint and bitten tone on laid paper and represents the final of three states from the Cadart edition. The Metropolitan Museum records Goya as an influence in whose manner Manet worked, not as the maker of this print. That distinction preserves the artist’s authorship while acknowledging the earlier graphic reference. The scene joins a recognizable person with an adopted visual role, allowing likeness and performance to share the same image.

Read our guide to giclée prints, browse more Édouard Manet prints, or explore Mademoiselle V. . . in the Costume of an Espada.