The Hidden Masterpiece is a short story by Honoré de Balzac. It was first published in August 1831. Young Nicolas Poussin, as yet unknown, visits the painter Porbus in his workshop. He is accompanied by the old master Frenhofer who comments expertly on the large tableau that Porbus has just finished. The painting is 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, La Belle noiseuse, on which he has been working for ten years. This future masterpiece, that no one has yet seen, is to be the portrait of Catherine Lescault. Poussin offers his own lover, Gilette, as a potential model. Gilette'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. Their disappointment drives Frenhofer to madness, and he destroys the painting and kills himself.
巴尔扎克是法国19世纪伟大的批判现实主义作家，欧洲批判现实主义文学的奠基人和杰出代表，法国现实主义文学成就最高者之一。他创作的《人间喜剧》（Comédie Humaine）共91部小说，写了两千四百多个人物，充分展示了19世纪上半叶法国社会生活，是人类文学史上罕见的文学丰碑，被称为法国社会的"百科全书。《神秘的杰作》也是巴尔扎克的一个伟大作品。