Finding the Woman of the Golden Raisins: The Story of the Gardner’s Degas Portrait

French Impressionist Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was, by all accounts, both a brilliant artist and a difficult person. There are many anecdotes that illustrate his sometimes impolite behavior with other people.

One such story comes from the art dealer Amboise Vollard. Towards the end of his life, Degas was progressively losing his sight. This was tragic for the painter, but according to Vollard, he was not above occasionally using his developing disability to his own advantage:
 

Another tale about Degas that shows he was unconcerned about offending others—including those who paid him to paint their portrait—is linked directly to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It surrounds a wonderful painting in the collection:  Josephine Gaujelin.
 

When Isabella acquired this portrait, the sitter was unidentified. The work went by two titles: either Woman with Clasped Hands or Woman with Golden Raisins, referring to the decoration in her hair. As far as we know, the only time the painting was shown publicly before debuting at the Museum was when Degas himself exhibited it at the 1869 Paris Salon—a major juried art exhibition in Paris. The artist simply titled her Portrait of Mme. G….

Clearly, mystery still abounded when art historian and advisor Bernard Berenson helped facilitate Gardner’s acquisition of the painting in 1904. He wrote:

To which Gardner, who had recently purchased the painting from the New York dealer Eugene Glaezner, responded: 
 

Gardner loved the portrait, which was initially installed in the Long Gallery. She continued to mention it in several letters to Berenson over the years, but its model remained unidentified. 

A clue finally arrived after Degas’ death, when the contents of his studio were sold at auction in 1919. There, a drawing clearly featuring the same sitter appeared—and helpfully, she was labeled as “Mme. Gaujelin.” 

Gardner even corresponded with the French art gallery run by legendary Impressionist dealer Paul Durand-Ruel to track down the drawing. She wanted to see if it was still available for sale—sadly, it was not. Today, it is in a German museum collection. 
 

The inscription of Mme Gaujelin identified the woman in the painting. She was Josephine Gaujelin, a dancer and actress who Degas depicted several times, including in another, sketchier oil painting. 
 

So, how did Josephine Gaujelin’s identity get lost in the first place? She had commissioned Degas to make this portrait, but was not happy with the outcome. Mme. Gaujelin rejected the canvas, presumably because she did not consider it flattering. Degas, showing his standard flair for not caring what people thought, still sent the painting to the very public Paris Salon, albeit under a semi-anonymous title. While his client may not have been happy, the painter was. His friend, the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot, wrote to her sister about the work: 
 

Gardner was also pleased with the portrait. Today, it holds pride of place as the centerpiece of the first wall visitors see in the Yellow Room.