With some slight touches of the paintbrush, Frenhofer transforms Porbus' painting such that Mary the Egyptian appears to come alive before their very eyes. The painting is of Mary of Egypt, and while Frenhofer sings her praises, he hints that the work seems unfinished. He is accompanied by the old master Frenhofer, who comments expertly on the large tableau that Porbus has just finished. Young Nicolas Poussin, as yet unknown, visits the painter Porbus in his workshop. Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu is a reflection on art, and has had an important influence on modernist artists. The work is separated into two chapters: Gillette and Catherine Lescault. It was published in Balzac's Études philosophiques in 1837 and was integrated into La Comédie humaine in 1846. It appeared again later in the same year under the title Catherine Lescault, conte fantastique. It was first published in the newspaper L'Artiste with the title Maître Frenhofer (English: Master Frenhofer) in August 1831. Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu ( English The Unknown Masterpiece) is a short story by Honoré de Balzac.
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