Portrait of Madeleine is an oil painting completed in 1800 by Marie-Guillemine Benoist. The work was created in France at the turn of the nineteenth century, a period marked by significant social and political change following the French Revolution. The painting is an important example of neoclassical portraiture and is recognized as a pivotal work in Benoist’s career. The painting depicts a seated Black woman, identified as Madeleine, shown in three-quarter view against a plain background.

She is draped in white fabric, with one breast exposed, and wears a white headwrap and a gold hoop earring. The figure’s direct gaze and dignified posture are emphasized by the careful modeling of her features and the subtle gradations of light and shadow. The palette is restrained, dominated by whites, browns, and blues, and the brushwork is smooth and precise, characteristic of neoclassical technique. Portrait of Madeleine was exhibited at the Salon of 1800, where it attracted attention for its subject and execution.

The painting is now widely recognized for its historical significance, both as a rare early French portrait of a Black woman and as a statement on race and representation in post-revolutionary France. The work is held in the collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris.