John Singer Sargent
American, 1856–1925
Rosina Ferrara, Head of a Capri Girl, 1878
Oil paint on cardboard
Rosina Ferrara met the 22-year-old John Singer Sargent on the island of Capri, off the coast of Naples, in the summer of 1878. Here, her flawless skin is framed by wisps of black hair dotted with white flowers in a profile pose that was one of three that Sargent painted of her. She must have made an impression on him, as he kept one of her portraits with him until the end of his life.
