The Madonna of the Future

The Madonna of the Future, by Henry James
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Title: The Madonna of the Future
Author: Henry James Release Date: May 8, 2005 Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) [eBook #2460]
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Transcribed from the 1887 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk, proofed by Jennifer Austin.
THE MADONNA OF THE FUTURE by Henry James
We had been talking about the masters who had achieved but a single masterpiece—the artists and poets who but once in their lives had known the divine afflatus and touched the high level of perfection. Our host had been showing us a charming little cabinet picture by a painter whose name we had never heard, and who, after this single spasmodic bid for fame, had apparently relapsed into obscurity and mediocrity. There was some discussion as to the frequency of this phenomenon; during which, I observed, H--- sat silent, finishing his cigar with a meditative air, and looking at the picture which was being handed round the table. “I don’t know how common a case it is,” he said at last, “but I have seen it. I have known a poor ...