1861
92 x 63 cm
Oil and tempera on paper
Nantes, Musée des Beaux-Arts
© RMN / Gérard Blot

Princess Mathilde, Napoleon Bonaparte's niece, refines the general image of scantily clad
"eastern" women that populate many paintings. The veiled female fellah is closer to reality. Indeed, Eastern women who were prepared to model were uncommon. Many Western artists had to make do with orientalising European models. In this area female artists such as Princess Mathilde mostly had it a little easier.