Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928) as Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

John Singer Sargent's 1888 portrait of Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth is one of the most iconic theatrical portraits in British art history, capturing the great Victorian actress in the moment of her most celebrated performance as she lifts a crown above her head. Terry wore an extraordinary costume of beetle-wing embroidered silk for Henry Irving's 1888 production at the Lyceum, and Sargent captured both the material splendor and the fierce, visionary quality of her performance. The painting was controversial at its 1889 Royal Academy exhibition and has remained one of the most discussed works in Sargent's oeuvre.

Sargent deploys his full technical command in rendering the extraordinary beetle-wing embroidered dress — the iridescent surface achieved through his characteristic broken, varied stroke. The crown-lifting gesture gives the composition dynamic energy, while the face beneath is painted with concentrated psychological intensity. The dark background sets off the shimmering dress dramatically.