Palamedes Palamedesz by John Singer Sargent

This charcoal study, titled *Palamedes Palamedesz*, was created in 1871 by a then 15-year-old John Singer Sargent, who would go on to become one of the most celebrated portrait painters of his generation. It is housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sargent, even at a young age, demonstrates a remarkable ability to capture character and expression with an economy of line. Notice the alert, almost startled, quality in the subject's face and eyes, achieved with just a few confident strokes.

This early work reflects Sargent's training in Florence and Paris, where he honed the skills that would define his later career. It is an exercise in both artistic homage and in mastering individual likeness, a foundation for his future success.

Look closely at the lower-left. It's an ambiguous form, left unresolved, perhaps a hand or just draped fabric, a visible trace of a developing artist at work. It's fascinating to see the beginnings of a master.