John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) is widely regarded as the "leading portrait painter of his generation," celebrated for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury. Auguste Rodin himself called him "the van Dyck of our times." Born in Florence on January 12, 1856 to American expatriate parents, Sargent had a cosmopolitan upbringing immersed in European art and culture. He went on to study under the renowned portraitist Carolus-Duran in Paris in 1874, who encouraged