Description
Lola de Valence is a painting by Édouard Manet from 1862: a Spanish dancer in a white lace mantilla and a short skirt strewn with red flowers stands in the wings of a theatre, a closed fan in her hand. The original is oil on canvas, 123 cm high and 92 cm wide, and belongs to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Our painter paints the dancer for you by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm, or made to measure. You see a photograph of your finished Lola before we pack her.
| Title: | Lola de Valence |
| Other titles: | Lola de Valencia (Spanish title) |
| Painter: | Édouard Manet (1832–1883) |
| Year painted: | 1862 |
| Original size: | 123 cm x 92 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Realism and Impressionism |
| Located at: | Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Lola de Valence – Édouard Manet
What does Lola de Valence show?
The dancer is shown at full length, turned slightly aside, her eyes fixed straight on us. A white lace mantilla edged with tiny red pompoms covers her dark hair. Beneath it a pale blue shawl crosses her chest, her white blouse has puffed, almost sheer sleeves, and a gold bracelet with a dark stone circles her upper arm.
Her bell-shaped skirt ends just below the knee. Large red, pink and yellow roses bloom on a black ground, and two rows of red pompoms finish the hem. Her right hand holds a closed fan with a blue tassel against her hip; the left is tucked under the shawl. White stockings end in pale pink dancing shoes with ribbons crossed round the ankles.
Brown wooden flats with beams and battens fill the background. To the right, a gap between two painted flats reveals the stage scenery and part of the house, where the audience appears as patches of bright colour. Her shadow falls across the grey boards, and Manet’s signature sits at the lower left.
Who is Lola, and what does the title tell us?
The title tells us only that she is Lola from Valencia, the city on Spain’s eastern coast. Costume, mantilla and fan mark her as a Spanish dancer; where she stands marks her as a performer in a theatre.
Manet does not show her dancing. The fan is shut, her hand rests at her waist and her gaze is for the viewer. He puts her backstage, among rough wooden flats the audience never sees, and leaves the stage and the house as a strip of colour at the edge.
To read more about the painter himself, see the Wikipedia article on Édouard Manet, written in English; it covers the painter, as no separate English article on this work exists.
Why does this painting matter in Manet’s work?
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) was born in Paris into a wealthy family; his father was a judge. From 1850 to 1856 he trained under Thomas Couture, and in the Louvre he copied Velázquez and Titian. Frans Hals and the Spanish masters Velázquez and Goya shaped his eye.
In the early 1860s Manet returned again and again to Spanish subjects. At the Salon of 1861 he showed The Spanish Singer, which Théophile Gautier admired, and a year later he painted Lola de Valence. Soon afterwards The Luncheon on the Grass (1863) and Olympia (Salon of 1865) caused great controversy; today both are seen as the start of modern art.
Among the first painters of his century to turn to modern life, Manet is seen as the bridge from Realism to Impressionism. He received the Légion d’honneur in 1881 and died in Paris in 1883 after a long illness. What draws people to Lola is the colour: a blazing skirt against muted brown, and a gaze impossible to ignore.
Where is the original today?
The original, oil on canvas measuring 123 x 92 cm (height x width), belongs to the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, under inventory number RF 1991.
The same museum owns two more Manets from our range: Portrait of Émile Zola, with the writer at his desk and a book in his hands, and the tiny The Asparagus, a single white spear on the edge of a marble table.
Lola de Valence or another Manet?
This canvas painting suits anyone who loves dance, theatre and Spain, and anyone who likes one strong figure against a quiet ground.
If Manet’s full-length women appeal to you, look at The Street Singer: a young woman with a guitar under her arm stepping out of a café with a paper cone of cherries. Repose is calmer, with the painter Berthe Morisot in a white dress on a dark red sofa.
Our Édouard Manet page gathers the famous Manet paintings we paint to order for you, from portraits to still lifes.
How do we hand-paint Lola de Valence?
Manet’s original is an oil on canvas 123 cm high. Ours is an oil painting reproduction on fresh canvas, which the painter builds up in oil on canvas layer by layer, at the size you pick.
He first sketches the figure, the tilt of her head and the outline of the bell skirt, then lays in the browns and olive greens of the flats. The skirt grows out of a dark ground, onto which he sets the flowers and both rows of pompoms; bracelet, fan, shoes and shadow come last.
Manet often painted directly, in opaque colour on a light ground, leaving sketch-like passages, here the flats and the house; our painter keeps them loose, so the eye settles on the dancer first.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: 30 x 40 or 40 x 51 cm for a shelf or a narrow wall, 51 x 67 and 58 x 75 cm for a hallway or bedroom, 73 x 100 and 91 x 127 cm above a sofa or a chest of drawers, and 120 x 160 or 156 x 200 cm for a tall wall or a stairwell.
We paint Lola in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 30 x 40, 40 x 51, 51 x 67, 58 x 75, 73 x 100, 91 x 127, 120 x 160 and 156 x 200 cm. The original measures 92 x 123 cm (width x height), so the five sizes up to 73 x 100 cm are smaller than it, 91 x 127 cm comes closest, and 120 x 160 and 156 x 200 cm are larger than the original.
As a painting for the living room the dancer shows best at 91 x 127 or 120 x 160 cm.
Can I have a custom size or a frame?
Yes. If your wall calls for other proportions, we keep the dancer whole, from mantilla to shoe tips, and adjust only the width of the flats and the floor. Give us the measurements for your Lola, and you will hear back with a price and a date.
Lola travels rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed; our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing. Pick the colour and profile of the moulding in our 3D app, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the dancer on your own wall is a separate service.
When will the painting arrive?
The painter starts on the dancer once you confirm the order, and she is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before packing you see a photograph of your finished Lola and can still ask for changes.
The dancer travels within Slovenia and to every EU country without customs duties, and our returns policy covers each order.
She makes a lovely gift for dancers, theatre-goers or anyone who has fallen for Spain. Unsure of the wall? Give a wall art voucher and the dancer’s new owner chooses the size.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
At the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, where it is listed under inventory number RF 1991.
Who is the woman in the painting?
A Spanish dancer whom the title calls Lola from Valencia; Manet placed her in the wings of a theatre.
Is this a print?
No. Each one is a hand-painted copy, laid on by our painter with brushes in oil on canvas.
How big is the original?
It is 123 cm high and 92 cm wide; our 120 x 160 and 156 x 200 cm sizes are larger.
Can I order Lola in a size that is not on the list?
Yes. Send the width and height you have in mind for Lola, and we reply with an offer, price and date included.
How long does it take to make?
From 15 to 45 working days, and before it ships we show you a photograph of the finished painting.
Is Lola right for a bedroom, or as a gift?
Yes. Her upright figure suits a bedroom or hallway, and she delights anyone who loves to dance.
What can be seen on the right behind the dancer?
Part of the painted stage scenery and a glimpse of the house with its audience, done in quick, loose strokes.
- Subject: a Spanish dancer in a white mantilla and a flowered skirt, holding a closed fan in the wings of a theatre.
- Original: oil on canvas, 1862, 123 x 92 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
- Ours: the dancer as an Édouard Manet reproduction, hand-painted in oil on canvas in 8 sizes from 30 x 40 to 156 x 200 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: one of Manet’s Spanish subjects of the early 1860s; the same museum holds his portrait of Zola.
