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A portrait by John Singer Sargent of Arsène Vigeant

Hadrien Viraben

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Hadrien Viraben. A portrait by John Singer Sargent of Arsène Vigeant. Burlington Magazine, 2014, 156 (1339), pp.665-669. hal-02188717

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Contribution à la revue *The Burlington Magazine*, vol. 156, no 1339, 2014, p. 665-669.
Préprint. Version définitive publiée : https://www.jstor.org/stable/24242020.

A portrait by John Singer Sargent of Arsène Vigeant

Figures:

Figure 1: *Portrait of the fencing master Arsène Vigeant*, by John Singer Sargent. 1885. Oil on canvas. 51 by 52 cm. (Musée de La Cour d'Or, Metz). Copyright Musée de La Cour d'Or – Metz Métropole (photo by Laurianne Kieffer).

Figure 2: *Carolus-Duran*, by John Singer Sargent. 1879. Oil on canvas. 116.8 by 96 cm. (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown). Copyright Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA (photo by Michael Agee).

Figure 3: *Man seated, holding a foil*, by John Singer Sargent. c. 1879. Pen on paper. 13 by 21 cm. (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Copyright RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) (photo by Adrien Didierjean).

Figure 4: *Henry Fouquier*, by John Singer Sargent, illustration from C.-M. de Vaux, *Les Hommes d'épée*, Paris, 1882.

Figure 5: *The fencing Master (portrait of Arsène Vigeant)*, by Carolus-Duran. 1875. Oil on canvas. 74 by 47 cm. (Untraced, formerly Musée du Luxembourg, Paris). Copyright Sophie Boegly.

Figure 6: *Master Vigeant*, by Jean Antoine Injalbert, execute by Pierre Bingen. 1885. Bronze. 33.3 by 17.2 cm. (Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Copyright Philippe Chuzeville.

Figure 7: *Vigeant's study*, by Frédéric Regamey, frontispiece from A. Vigeant, *Ma Collection d'escrime*, Paris, 1892.
*The Portrait of the fencing master Arsène Vigeant* is a relatively unknown early portrait of John Singer Sargent. It has not yet been published in Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray's *catalogue raisonné*, despite its belonging to the permanent collection at the Musée La Cour d'Or in Metz since 1920, and has been reproduced twice in publications concerning the collections of the institution. ¹ The portrait has been mentioned only by French amateurs of Sargent's or American art until now, and has gone unnoticed by the principal audience of the artist, the Anglo-Saxon public. ²

This portrait depicts Arsène Vigeant (Fig.1), a famous French fencer connected to Sargent's social network, which the painter developed during his stay in Paris between 1874 and 1886.³ It is one of numerous small canvases painted by Sargent and used as gifts for his closest relations. It bears the dedication "To my master Vigeant / John S. Sargent 1885".⁴ According to Richard Ormond the painting, in terms of style and composition, is similar to portraits of his early commissioners, such as *Madame Paul Escudier* (1882, oil on canvas, 128.3 by 90.2 cm., Private collection, no. 53) or *Mr and Mrs Albert Vickers* (1884, oil on canvas, 51.4 by 68.6 cm., Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, no. 153), as well as portraits of some of his friends in the French and English literary milieu, such as *Judith Gautier* (c. 1883-1885, oil on canvas, 99.1 by 62.2 cm., Detroit Institute of Arts, no. 76) or *Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife* (1885, oil on canvas, 52.1 by 62.2 cm., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, no. 162). These paintings, all depicting close relations of Sargent, share the same domestic and intimate ambiance. In the case of Vigeant's portrait, this cosy atmosphere is underlined by the unusual square format of the canvas. A dynamic diagonal is initiated in the forefront with the left leg of the sitter, and ends with the sword in the background. The idea of movement is reinforced by the crispation of the right hand. Arsène Vigeant, seated on the edge of his armchair, considering the viewer with a piercing gaze, is about to stand up and welcome him. *Madame Paul Escudier* presents a similar diagonal
composition, with the sitter standing next to an armchair, as if to suggest that she has just risen up. As for *Robert Louis Stevenson*, the writer is captured while walking in his room. *Arsène Vigeant* is thus quite typical of Sargent's interpretation of the impressionist strategy in his production of informal portraits during the 1880s. While the face is painted with a detailed brushwork, the carpet is covered with large dots of red, rapidly and visibly executed.

Another portrait, dating from the Parisian years of Sargent, must also be mentioned: the well-known portrait of *Carolus-Duran* (Fig.2, no. 21). It shares with *Arsène Vigeant* a relatively similar inscription, a dedication “to my dear master M. Carolus Duran”. This article takes it upon itself to extend the comparison between the portraits, and the use of the same title of “master” by the artist in order to qualify both a fencer and a painter. It will bring into focus the relationship between the worlds of artists and sportsmen, between the men of the sword and the men of the brush: their social practices, networks and sharing of interests.

But first let us answer the question: who was Arsène Vigeant? Born in Metz in 1842 his career as a fencer began around 1873.⁵ During an important competition January the 28th 1873 he received the applause of the *dilettanti* connoisseurs and a wider acclaim in the newspapers. He became the fencing professor of the Cercle de l'Union artistique arms room, and then directed the arms room of the *Figaro*. Several years later, the fencing historian Adolphe Tavernier described his success as that of a man “arrivé”: “Vigeant is with Prévost the most *fashionable* fencer in Paris”.⁶ Within the sporting activities, fencing, as equestrian practices, still wore for the upper classes of the Third Republic aristocracy and high bourgeoisie the charm of Ancien Régime. Fencing was a part of social life, similar to spectacles or exhibitions, or salons and circles. Fencing masters were figures of “le Tout-Paris”, like successful writers and painters Moreover, during his lessons at the Cercle de
l'Union artistique then at the *Figaro*, Arsène Vigeant socialized with the worlds of artists and journalists.

One of Vigeant's most important pupils was Carolus-Duran (1838-1917), the painting "master" of John Singer Sargent, in whose studio the American painter received his academic education when he arrived in Paris in 1874. Since 1873 in the very same studio, Vigeant provided fencing lessons to Carolus-Duran each morning.⁷ Several descriptions of the space mentioned Carolus-Duran's taste for fencing, as for music: "enter in [Carolus-Duran's] studio rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, and here, you will see suspended on the wall, rounded by chefs-d'oeuvre of the modern school of art, a foil, a mask and a fencing-glove. A bit further, you will see a guitar."⁸ Fencing was an integral part of Carolus-Duran's public image, inherited from romantic representations of studios where pupils practised multiple artistic and sporting activities.⁹ This image also corresponded to the Second Empire's taste for collecting miscellaneous objects, as studios became a prominent part of the social artistic life.¹⁰ During the Third Republic Carolus-Duran was recognized by the professional milieu of fencers as "the *Manet* of fencing".¹¹ As a member of the Cercle de l'Union artistique, he also fenced in the arms room of the club, based in Place Vendôme. In 1875 Carolus-Duran showed at the Cercle, which also organized artistic exhibitions, a portrait of his fencing master Vigeant (Fig.5).¹²

It is possible that the first encounter of Arsène Vigeant and John Sargent occurred when the former studied in Carolus-Duran's studio. These meetings probably multiplied when Sargent himself became a member of the Cercle de l'Union artistique. Sargent was introduced into the club by Carolus-Duran, and his social life in it lengthened that of his master's studio. The Cercle was an important place for artistic socialisation, gathering "le Tout-Paris" and wealthy amateurs from the great world, its qualification as "cercle" referring to the social terminology of high life. Sargent was a member like other Parisian leading figures, such as
the collector Samuel Pozzi or the best-sellers' author Paul Bourget. As mentioned earlier, the club was also an important exhibition place, where Sargent began presenting his work in 1883, not long after the major Salon success of *El Jaleo* (c. 1880-1882, oil on canvas, 237 by 352 cm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, no. 772). The same year 1883 he moved from his first studio, located on the same street as Carolus-Duran's, rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, to a new one in the fashionable and wealthy neighbourhood of the Plaine de Monceaux.

Nevertheless it's feasible that Sargent had already had access to the Cercle before exhibiting there thanks to the support of Carolus-Duran. The Musée du Louvre keeps eight drawings by John Singer Sargent depicting the activities in the arms room of the club. These drawings are contained in a sketchbook having belonged to the Swiss painter Charles Giron (1850-1914), a close friend of Sargent during his stay in Paris. Like the American painter, Giron was a foreign artist exhibiting portraits and subjects of Parisian modern life with a certain amount of success at the Salon. His *Parisienne* in 1883 (oil on canvas, 200 by 91 cm., Petit Palais, Paris) shows strong similarities with the famous *Madame X* (1883-1884, oil on canvas, 208,6 by 109,9 cm., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, no. 114), exhibited the next year. Around 1884, Sargent dedicated a portrait to Giron (c. 1884, oil on canvas, 64.8 by 50.2 cm., Private collection, no. 148). It so happens that the Swiss painter was also a member of the Cercle de l'Union artistique, and most likely he shared his sketchbook with Sargent during fencing lessons directed by Vigeant in the arms room of the club. Sargent's drawings would date from 1879, a year inscribed on the backside of the folio 27. The recto of the same page shows a man seated in a pose that could bear some resemblance to the Carolus-Duran's portrait exhibited that year at the Salon (Fig.3).¹³ Apart from Charles Giron, Sargent shared this fencing lessons at the club with the French sculptors Jean Antoine Injalbert (1845-1933) and Jean Hugues (1849-1930), both portrayed by the American in the pages of the sketchbook
(folio 28 verso, folio 29 recto). At the end of the 1870s, Sargent dedicated to Injalbert a small
canvas *Dancing on the Rooftop, Capri* (1878, oil on canvas, 51.1 by 63.8 cm., Private
collection, no. 1017). These four students of Vigeant, Sargent, Giron, Injalbert and Hugues,
all created portraits for their master between 1885 and 1886.

But between the fencing lessons and the portrait of Arsène Vigeant, Sargent
established other contacts with the fencing world. In 1882 he participated in the illustration of
baron de Vaux's book *The Men of sword* with two portraits: an image of Carolus-Duran; a
portrait of Henry Fouquier (1838-1901) (Fig.4), who was principally known as a journalist for
the newspapers *Le XIXe siècle* and *Le Figaro*.¹⁴ Sargent's contribution for this gallery of
portraits, "worthy of the Musée Grévin", must be linked with his work for illustrated
newspapers during the same years.¹⁵ To those he provided images of playwrights. For
example *Le Monde illustré* commissioned an image of Édouard Pailleron for a full-page
illustration in a December 1881 issue.¹⁶ *L'Illustration* used a reproduction of the oil portrait of
the same sitter (1879, oil on canvas, 127 by 94 cm., Musée d'Orsay, Paris, no. 24) for the
cover of a December 1882 issue, two days after the election of Pailleron into the Académie
Française.¹⁷ The same possibilities appeared with *The Men of sword*: in Henry Fouquier's
case, the creation of a new image from an original drawing; the re-use of the engraving of his
Carolus-Duran's portrait, already widely diffused. ¹⁸ The experience of Sargent as an
illustrator – meaning here promoter of illustrious celebrities – should have made him aware of
the significance of a public image for a figure of “le Tout-Paris”, for a playwright or a fencer.
This experience would count in the creation of Arsène Vigeant's portrait.

In 1892 Vigeant wrote a description of his collection, which counted five oil portraits
and two little sculptures of himself. Most of the artists were Vigeant's students and gave the
same kind of personal gift to their professor. The older and largest portrait was Carolus-
Duran’s in 1875. Three works followed in 1885: two canvases by Giron and Sargent, and a
little bronze by Injalbert (Fig.6). Hugues’ bronze dates from 1886. Finally Théobald Chartran
and Alexis Vollon painted two other portraits in 1888 and 1891.¹⁹

But compared with the other representations, Sargent's iconography of Arsène
Vigeant differs. Carolus-Duran and Injalbert presented the sitter wearing a fencing costume
and holding a sword. John Sargent presented him in an original way as an intellectual, seated
at his worktable with his hand on a book. If we follow the descriptions in the 1892 catalogue,
no other portrait of Vigeant seems to bear any similarities to Sargent's. In order to understand
this difference of representation, we need to consider the professional conversion of Vigeant
during the year 1885. The fencer had, by then, left the arms room of the Cercle, presumably
because of the antagonism between him and another fencing star, Louis Mérignac.²⁰ Vigeant
had reconverted himself into a fencing historian. In 1882 he had already published a
*Bibliography of ancient and modern fencing*, in 1883 a *Little historical essay: a fencing
master under Restoration*, in 1884 *Duels of fencing masters*.²¹ His mediatised image became
that of a scholar and of a collector. The year of Sargent's portrait, several descriptions of his
collection appeared, the most important being written by Paul Eudel. Arsène Vigeant had
gathered a heterogeneous group of objects, with paintings and engravings depicting historical
figures of fencing, with a typology of weapons narrating the evolution of the sword, but
mostly with a library of rare books about fencing. This collection had made him a recognised
bibliophile.²² In Sargent's portrait, the sword is rejected in the background of the canvas, and
Vigeant is portrayed with the symbol of his new career: a set of books, scattered on the table
and on shelves. The attitude of Vigeant, interrupted while reading, can both suggest the
alertness of the sportsman and the acuteness of the intellectual and the bibliophile. This
analysis drives us to interpret Sargent's work showing the specific transformation of
Vigeant's public image.
Only one image could echo Sargent's, a watercolour by the illustrator Frédéric Regamey presenting the sitter in his study. Reproduced as the frontispiece of the catalogue of the collection in 1892 (Fig.7), it corresponds to the image Vigeant wished to project as a *connoisseur*, a scrupulous collector capable of writing in the prescribed forms an apt descriptive inventory of his own collection.²³ In Sargent's portrait, the bronze on the table, a small cast of an original antique *Minerva* (2nd century A.D., Museo di Antichità, Turin) expressed this qualification of an erudite amateur. A plaster version of the same statuette had appeared fifteen years earlier in the famous Fantin-Latour's *Studio in the Batignolles quarter* (1870, oil on canvas, 204 by 273.5 cm., Musée d'Orsay, Paris), as a meaningful element of an art manifesto. With this statuette *Arsène Vigeant* falls into the artistic tradition of depicting portraits of *connoisseurs* and art amateurs since the Renaissance.²⁴

Sargent's portrait, both an image of the collector himself and a part of a collection with artistic pretentions, can be considered as a key element of Vigeant's will to be more than a famous sportsman. When Vigeant tried to sell his collection in 1913, the preface of the catalogue underlined the role played by the series of portraits in building the specific status of the collector. At first informal proofs of friendship, they made him then a pioneer, the first fencer to begin decorating arms rooms with paintings and engravings: "As a consequence, Vigeant had intended to restore this old tradition according to which fencing and fine arts held each other in mutual and sincere esteem; he carefully searched the proofs of this strong sympathy over ages and gathered them abundantly, then he completed the demonstration by adding new arguments. And what arguments came to his hand – and his heart! – from masters like Carolus-Duran, Injalbert, Chartran, Giron, Sargent, Jean Béraud!"²⁵

The alliance of the sword and the brush had his moment of glory with the borrowing of an asset from the artistic world: an exhibition. In May-June 1905, at the heart of the artistic
and social season, the annual “Grande semaine de l’épée” (Great week of the sword) organized, apart from duels, a “Salon de peinture”, as said the art critic Louis Vauxcelles.²⁶ This exhibition included a series of portraits by famous 19th century artists, depicting illustrious contemporary sportsmen from the fencing world. Vigeant was represented at three different occasions in this exhibition, with Carolus-Duran’s, Sargent’s and Chartran’s paintings. However it remained to be decided whether sport or artistic journalists would be covering the event. On sport part, Louis d’Hurcourt qualified the display in *Le Temps* as “a true museum”, “a splendid and amusing exhibition of works of art, paintings, watercolours, drawings, engravings, statuettes, etc., all having some sort of link with fencing and dual”.²⁷ His words echoed a particular type of exhibition of portraits, where works of art were chosen by the sitters and owners. Such events were clearly devoted to their praise instead of the artists’.²⁸ Confronted with a museum exhibition searching for a scientific legitimation from art historians, or Salons’ and galleries’ searching for an aesthetic legitimation from art critics, these were only superficial and social exhibitions of art, glorified for their charming, magnificent and entertaining character in the absence of any other purpose. Amongst the art critics, Vauxcelles, by including a review in his own artistic chronicle, was supporting the appropriation of the artistic value by the fencing world. The art critic seemed to restate the part of *Gil Blas’* sport columnist, Louis d’Hurcourt himself.²⁹ The mutual support between sportsmen and artists matched thus the collaboration of newspaper colleagues.

The last event in the life of the portrait of *Arsène Vigeant* was its entry into the collection of Metz’s museum. When it became effective in 1919, Arsène Vigeant’s bequest was divided according to his will: the portraits by the French artists Carolus-Duran and Injalbert came down to the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, museum of contemporary fine arts; to the museum in Metz, from whence Vigeant originated, was given the portrait by
Sargent. There it acquired a new patriotic dimension. In 1871 with the Treaty of Frankfurt Metz had been annexed into the German Empire. When Vigeant had written his will in 1916 during the First World War, he had stated that the portrait would join the collection of a town "reverted back to France", and had predicted a fact that would come true only two year later.³⁰ His gift expressed thus his confidence about the conclusion of the conflict, and his trust in the future unity of the nation. His portrait, after having been the image of a fencer and a collector, became the depiction a local great man³¹.

Arsène Vigeant's portrait acted as a bond between two celebrities, an artist and a sportsman, both recognised by theirs peers and the general public. The painting tells in particular to the art historian its pragmatic value: the expression of gratitude from a student to his "master", and the artistic aura of a celebrity from "le Tout-Paris" as either a traditional representation of art amateurs or an up and coming man about town.
The author wishes to thank Richard Ormond for his support in the writing of this article, and Raphaël Mariani, curator of the fine arts collections, for his welcome in the Musée La Cour d'Or in Metz and his help in gathering archives about the painting. He also expresses his special gratitude to Sophie Turco-Dalmonin. The numeration of Sargent's paintings refers to R. Ormond, E. Kilmurray: *John Singer Sargent, Complete paintings*, New Haven 1998-2012, 7 vol.

<footnote n="1">¹ *Musées de Metz: dossiers d'oeuvres Metz*, ed. I. Bardiès-Fronty, Metz 2007, p. 109; *La Cour d'or: visages d'un musée*, Paris 2011, p. 121.</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² The portrait is inventoried in the database of American works of art kept by French institutions, “La Fayette: Database of American Art. Works by United States artists from the French national collections, 1620-1940”. See http://musee.louvre.fr/bases/lafayette/index.php?lng=1.</footnote>

<footnote n="3">³ About this network, see E. Kilmurray, R. Ormond: 'Sargent in Paris', *Apollo* 148 (1998), pp.13-22.</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴ “À mon maître Vigeant / John S. Sargent 1885”.</footnote>

<footnote n="5">⁵ About Vigeant's career, see A. Tavernier: *Amateurs et salles d'armes de Paris*, Paris 1886, pp.141-145; P. Eudel, *Collections et collectionneurs*, Paris 1885, pp.79-137.</footnote>

<footnote n="6">⁶ “Le jeune maître était désormais ‘lancé’ et même ‘arrivé’. ... Vigeant est avec Prévost le maître d'armes le plus ‘fashionable’ de Paris.” Tavernier, *op. cit*. (note 5), p.143.</footnote>

<footnote n="7">⁷ Tavernier, *op. cit*. (note 5), pp.40-46.</footnote>

<footnote n="8">⁸ “... pénétrez dans l'atelier de la rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, et là, vous verrez appendus au mur, au milieu de chefs-d'œuvre de l'école moderne, un fleuret, un masque et un gant d'armes. Un peu plus loin, vous apercevrez une guitare.” C.-M. de Vaux: *Les Hommes d'épée*, Paris 1882, pp.2-3.</footnote>
⁹ Robert de Montesquiou wrote about the portrait of *Carolus-Duran*: “Did the student [John Singer Sargent], already sly, insinuate that the right hand of his illustrious master was capable of pulling out the sword, as much as handling the brush, or playing the guitar?” R. de Montesquiou, *Altesses sérénissimes*, Paris 1907, p. 90.

¹⁰ Painter of the romantic generation, Horace Vernet depicted his studio fulfilled with students painting, discussing, playing music and fencing (c. 1820, oil on canvas, Private collection). It later became a cliché. In 1849 the *Magasin pittoresque* published a representation of Clésinger and Roqueplan's studios gathering painting, guitar playing and fencing activities.
A. Martin-Fugier: *La vie d'artiste au XIXe siècle*, Paris 2008, p.100.

¹¹ “ni classique, ni fantaisiste, ni romantique ; il a voulu être le *Manet* de l’escrime” Vaux, *op. cit.* (note 8), p.2.

¹² Eudel, *op. cit.* (note 5), p.89.

¹³ S. Péharpré, C. Vaudevire, V. Wiesinger, eds.: *Dessins américains des collections nationales de 1760 à 1945*, Blérancourt (Musée national de la coopération franco-américaine) 1991, pp.56-57.

¹⁴ Carolus-Duran was also in touch with Henry Fouquier: he had portrayed Madame Henry Fouquier in 1876 (oil on canvas, 113.5 by 86,5 cm., Private collection).

¹⁵ Vaux, *op. cit.* (note 8), p.VII.

¹⁶ ‘M. Édouard Pailleron, auteur dramatique. (Dessin de M. Sargent – Gravure de M. Baude’, *Le Monde illustré* no. 1288 (1881). The same newspaper, on 14 January 1882, proposed another original drawing by Sargent, presenting the playwright Emile Augier, made recently “Grand officier de la Légion d’honneur”. ‘M. Émile Augier. Dessin de M. Sargent – Gravure de M. Baude’, *Le Monde illustré* no. 1294 (1882).

¹⁷ ‘Édouard Pailleron. D’après le tableau de M. Sargent’, *L’Illustration* no. 2076 (1882).
<footnote n="18">¹⁸ About the reproductions of *Carolus-Duran*, see F.-G. Dumas, ed.: *Salon de 1879: Catalogue illustré*, Paris 1879, p. 161; 'M. Carolus Duran. D'après le tableau de M. Sargent – Salon de 1879', *L'Illustration* no. 1925 (1880). 'Carolus Duran. Tableau de M. John Sargent – Gravure de M. Valette', *Le Monde illustré* no. 1204 (1880).</footnote>

<footnote n="19">¹⁹ A. Vigeant: *Ma collection d'escrime*, Paris 1892, pp. 89-90. Sargent's portrait bears the no. 202 in this catalogue. Apart from this series of portraits, several drawings could also be mentioned: works by Carolus-Duran, Frédéric Regamey, Jean Béraud, and the caricaturists Arcos and Sem. The illustration published in de Vaux's book, a dedicated drawing by Deville, is not mentioned in this inventory.</footnote>

<footnote n="20">²⁰ Eudel, *op. cit.* (note 5), p.87.</footnote>

<footnote n="21">²¹ A. Vigeant: *La Bibliographie de l'escrime ancienne et modern*, Paris 1882; *Petit essai historique: un maître d'armes sous la Restauration*, Paris 1883; *Duels de maîtres d'armes*, Paris 1884.</footnote>

<footnote n="22">²² See for example J. Richard: *L'Art de former une bibliothèque*, Paris 1883, pp.116-117; A. Maze-Sencier, *Le Livre des collectionneurs*, Paris 1885, p.374.</footnote>

<footnote n="23">²³ This frontispiece is a reproduction of a work mentioned in the catalogue, no. 214: *Vigeant's study – Interior of the study of Vigeant, seated in the background, near a table* (1891, watercolour, 13 by 8 cm., Unlocated).</footnote>

<footnote n="24">²⁴ This type recalls for example the 18th century portraits by Pompeo Batoni, representing Englishmen during their Grand Tour, sitting with antiques replicas. An example from the 19th century could be M. Philibert Rivière by Ingres (1805, oil on canvas, 116 by 89 cm., Musée du Louvre, Paris), where the commissioner poses with books and an engraved reproduction of Raphael's *Madonna della sedia* (1513-1514, Palazzo Pitti, Firenze).</footnote>

<footnote n="25">²⁵ “Dès l’abord, Vigeant eut cette intention de remettre en honneur cette fort ancienne coutume selon laquelle l’escrime et les beaux-arts se tenaient en mutuelle et sincère estime; il</footnote>
rechercha soigneusement les preuves de cette solide sympathie au cours des âges et les
recueillit abondantes, puis il compléta la démonstration en y ajoutant des arguments
nouveaux. Et quels arguments lui vinrent de la main – et du cœur! – de maîtres tels que
Carolus-Duran, Injalbert, Chartran, Giron, Sargent, Jean Béraud!” *Catalogue des tableaux,
aquarelles, dessins anciens et modernes d'escrimes... : collection Vigeant*, Paris (Hôtel
Drouot) 1913, p. 4.

<sup>26</sup> L. Vauxcelles: 'Notes d'art. Les peintres de l'escrime', *Gil Blas*, 6 June 1905.

<sup>27</sup> L.-R. d'Hurcourt: 'Escrime. La Grande semaine d'épée', *Le Temps*, 31 May 1905.

<sup>28</sup> Sargent's portraits participated to several exhibitions of the same kind between the end of the 19<sup>th</sup> and the beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Going back to the parallel between sportsmen and playwrights, we can mention in particular the exhibition of portraits of journalists and writers at Georges Petit's gallery in 1893. Two paintings by Sargent were there exposed: the portraits of Édouard Pailleron, mentioned earlier, and the portrait of Charles Frémine (c. 1880, oil on canvas, 64.8 by 54.6 cm., Private collection, no. 102).

<sup>29</sup> “Je n’aurais garde de parler escrime dans un journal où écrit mon compétent et redoutable ami Louis d’Hurcourt.” Vauxcelles, *op. cit*. (note 26).

<sup>30</sup> The municipal archives in Metz keep few papers about the acquisition of the painting by the museum (R/d 140). The holograph will be there quoted in a letter from Louis Alexandre Benoist, Arsène Vigeant’s notary, sent on 7 July 1919 to Roger Clément, curator of the museum.

<sup>31</sup> As a last comparison between Arsène Vigeant and the portrait of Édouard Pailleron, one could notice that the former became the image of a national great man with its exhibit in the galleries devoted to French history at the Château de Versailles in 1912.