Every now and then, one stumbles upon physical evidence of great masters sharing their expertise with younger talents. From September 25 through October 31, J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art in Bernardsville, New Jersey is exhibiting a rare canvas on which John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) rapidly painted the head of a male model posing at London's Royal Academy Schools while Sargent was teaching there in December 1905.

The lucky beneficiary of this impromptu demonstration was student Jessie Marion McConnell (1884-?), whose quite competent portrait of the same model graces the other side of the canvas. This picture is set for inclusion in Volume 7 of the Sargent catalogue raisonné being published by Yale University Press, but admirers of this master can catch it in person at Stringer Gallery's autumn show of 19th and early 20th-century paintings.

Information: J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art, 21-25 Claremont Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924, 908.766.6400, www.jmstringergallery.com

Image
John Singer Sargent
Head of an Italian Model
1905, Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 1/8 in.
J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art, Bernardsville, NJ