Portrait of a Lady; verso: Sitting Figure 19th-20th century

Curator: Here we have John Singer Sargent’s pencil drawing, "Portrait of a Lady," at the Harvard Art Museums. She's about 10 by 9 inches. What’s your first take? Editor: Ethereal. She almost seems to float off the page, a fleeting vision captured with incredible delicacy. Curator: Sargent clearly admired Leonardo; some scholars suggest he copied this from a Da Vinci drawing. Those delicate lines…almost ghostly. Editor: The head covering cloaks her in shadow, yet she still holds a gaze that feels both timeless and deeply personal. There's an echo of Renaissance ideals, certainly. Curator: It’s a lovely interpretation, a dance between reverence and Sargent’s own unique touch. Editor: It shows how symbols and styles evolve, each artist adding their own voice to a visual conversation. Curator: Absolutely. An artist speaking to another across centuries, through a borrowed image. Editor: It makes you wonder what stories she could tell, if only those pencil lines could speak a little louder.