The central element of O. Wilde's novel, Dorian's portrait, has itself received little critical attention, although the concept of the body as the 'canvas of conduct' implicit in its magic is culturally problematic: it presupposes a profound moral framework and a, potentially discriminating, corporal symbolism. Moreover, the motif of the fading portrait characteristically binds eccentric personal development to a segregative notion of 'decline'. - How can moral failure engrave itself in a face previously "unspotted from the world" ? This study examines how the novel interrelates between physicality and personality, inquires into the historical backgrounds of this perspective and discusses its social and ethical consequences. It offers additional insights for scholars interested in O. Wilde's work, the cultural landscape of the late nineteenth century and anti-discrimination or gender debates.