Smoke of Ambergris
1880
John Singer Sargent captures a moment of pure luxury and mystery in this 1880 masterpiece. A woman draped in flowing white robes stands in a stark, sunlit room, gently lifting her veil to gaze down at a silver censer. The thin wisp of smoke rising from the burner is ambergris, an incredibly rare and expensive perfume ingredient harvested from sperm whales. Sargent painted this after a trip to North Africa, perfectly capturing the exotic allure and quiet drama that made his Orientalist works so famous.
Location: Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts
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