Artwork
Mademoiselle V. . . in the Costume of an Espada
Mademoiselle V. . . in the Costume of an Espada is an oil painting by the Realist artist Édouard Manet. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Victorine Meurent stands nearly life-sized, dressed as a male matador in the bullring, her pink cape unfurled against a backdrop borrowed from Goya's Tauromaquia. Painted by Édouard Manet in 1862, the work was exhibited at the infamous Salon des Refusés of 1863, grouped as a triptych with Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Young Man in the Costume of a Majo.
Subject & Meaning
The main subject is explicitly a bullfighter, yet the model’s identity as a female artist's model layers meanings of masquerade and artistic convention.
The painting portrays Mademoiselle V... (Victorine Meurent) dressed as an espada, the principal bullfighter, in a theatrical costume. The iconography includes a cape and sword, traditional attributes of a matador.
As a genre scene, the work blurs portraiture and performance, representing a woman assuming a masculine role. This cross-dressing motif and the staging within a bullfighting context suggest a playful commentary on gender roles and identity. The main subject is explicitly a bullfighter, yet the model’s identity as a female artist's model layers meanings of masquerade and artistic convention.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium and support typical of Édouard Manet's works. The canvas measures 165.1 cm in height by 127.6 cm in width, indicating a large-scale composition. Classified as a genre scene, it aligns with Manet's focus on contemporary subjects. No further details regarding handling, brushwork, or condition are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Édouard Manet painted Mademoiselle V... in the Costume of an Espada in 1862. The painting's provenance includes the artist himself, and it later passed through several owners before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which currently holds the work. No specific commission details are recorded in the provided sources; the work was created as a genre scene, possibly reflecting Manet's interest in Spanish costume.
Overview
Édouard Manet's 1862 oil painting, Mademoiselle V... in the Costume of an Espada, depicts Victorine Meurent, a frequent model for the artist, in a striking, nearly life-sized pose. She is presented in the attire of a male bullfighter, specifically an espada, or chief matador. This work exemplifies Manet's early exploration of unconventional subjects and his engagement with historical artistic traditions, rendered through his distinctive brushwork.
Context
Mademoiselle V... in the Costume of an Espada is frequently cited as a key example of Édouard Manet's profound engagement with Spanish art. His interest in Spanish themes and aesthetics, particularly the works of Velázquez and Goya, is evident in the subject matter and the dramatic presentation. This influence was further underscored by its exhibition alongside Young Man in the Costume of a Majo, another work featuring Spanish attire, at the pivotal 1863 Salon des Refusés.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
Studied in the Impressionism course 
Studied in the Portraiture Across Time course