First published in 1831, it falls under the category of Philosophical Studies in Balzac’s body of work, the Comédie Humaine. The Hidden Masterpiece, also known as The Unknown Masterpiece, could be considered a long short story or a short novella. Poussin, filled with awe and admiration for this exceptional painter and overcome by an irresistible curiosity, decides he must see this painting at all costs. This piece of work is the great love of his life, and he refuses to share it with anyone. The old man, Maitre Frenhofer, has one great unfinished canvas secreted away in the back of his atelier. Poussin, upon seeing the old man’s work, is amazed at the sublime talent of this aged master, who surpasses even the remarkable skill of Porbus. The young novice is revealed to be Nicholas Poussin, who in Balzac’s time was one of the most celebrated painters in French history. This aged personage turns out to be the master’s master, that is, the artist who taught Porbus all he knows about painting. When he arrives at the top of the staircase, however, he finds his idol already has company in the form of a mysterious old man. A young aspiring painter nervously climbs the stairs to the studio of the master painter Porbus, in hopes that the great artist will take him on as an apprentice.
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