La obra maestra desconocida / Honoré de Balzac ; prólogo, notas y estudio cronológico de Juan Domingo Arg{uml}uelles.

Título original : Le chef-d'{oelig}uvre inconnu.

Young Nicolas Poussin, as yet unknown, visits the painter Porbus in his workshopáginas He is accompanied by the old master Frenhofer who comments expertly on the large tableau that Porbus has just finished. The painting is of Mary of Egypt, and while Frenhofer sings her praises, he hints that the work seems unfinished. With some slight touches of the paintbrush, Frenhofer transforms Porbus' painting such that Mary the Egyptian appears to come alive before their very eyes. Although Frenhofer has mastered his technique, he admits that he has been unable to find a suitable model for his own masterpiece, which depicts a beautiful courtesan called Catherine Lescault, known as La Belle noiseuse. He has been working on this future masterpiece, that no one has yet seen, for ten years. Poussin offers his own lover, Gillette, as a potential model. Gillette's beauty is so great that it inspires Frenhofer to finish his project quickly. Poussin and Porbus come to admire the painting, but all they can see is part of a foot that has been lost in a swirl of colors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chef-d'%C5%93uvre_inconnu.