Description
Pregnant Woman and Death is a 1911 painting by Egon Schiele: two tall draped figures against a near-black ground – at the right a pregnant woman in rust and ochre robes with a pale grey mantle drawn over her belly, at the left the gaunt figure of Death in dark brown. The original is held by the National Gallery Prague under inventory number O 4396 and measures 100 x 100 cm. We paint it by hand in oils on canvas at the size you choose, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work for approval.
| Title: | Pregnant Woman and Death |
| Other titles: | Schwangere und Tod |
| Painter: | Egon Schiele (1890–1918) |
| Year: | 1911 |
| Original size (width × height): | 100 cm x 100 cm |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Style: | Expressionism |
| Location: | National Gallery Prague (inv. O 4396) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, 7 sizes from 45 x 45 cm to 170 x 170 cm or a made-to-measure size |
Pregnant Woman and Death – Egon Schiele
What does the painting show?
Two tall figures stand against a near-black ground, wrapped in heavy cloth. At the right is a woman in rust and ochre robes, a pale grey mantle drawn over a swollen belly; her head is bowed and her face is bone-white and masklike. At the left stands the gaunt figure of Death in dark brown, with a narrow white face and hollow eyes. There is almost no background: both figures read as two columns of cloth, so all the attention stays on the colours of the fabric and on the two faces.
Why do people love it?
For the quiet. This is a picture that does not speak loudly: two verticals, two faces, a black ground. Rust, ochre and dark brown get along with wood, leather and brick, while the grey mantle opens the scene up so that it does not turn heavy. People choose it for rooms where they linger and look – a study, a reading corner, a hallway or a stairwell. It is also mature Schiele, from 1911, painted at twenty-one, when he was already doing the work he is recognised for.
Where does it sit among Schiele’s works?
Among his works about motherhood and mortality, subjects he returned to all his life. Related works in our selection are Dead Mother I, Death and the Maiden, Self-Seers II (Death and Man) and Young Mother. Pregnant Woman and Death dates from 1911. The full selection is in the Egon Schiele gallery, with more on his life in our article about Egon Schiele.
How is our hand-painted version made?
A painter works every canvas in oils, stroke by stroke: a hand-painted painting made for your order, not a machine print. Two things decide whether the copy works. The first is the black of the ground: it must not be flat and dead but deep, with a little warmth in it, or the figures stick to the background and the picture loses its space. The second is the two faces – the woman’s bone-white one and Death’s narrow white one – which have to stay just different enough; if the painter evens them out, the sense of the scene collapses. Like the original, our copy is oil on canvas. When it is finished we photograph it and send you the photograph for approval, and only then does it ship. This work has not yet been painted and photographed in our workshop, so there are no workshop photographs of it on this page yet: the single photograph on the page shows the painting itself.
Which size for which wall?
The original is square, 100 cm wide and 100 cm high, and our 100 x 100 cm matches it exactly. A square works where an upright or a landscape shape would not: between two doors, over a chest of drawers, in a niche, or at the end of a hallway. In a smaller room, a work corner or a stairwell, 45 x 45 cm and 60 x 60 cm; over a sideboard or a desk, 75 x 75 cm; above a sofa or on the main living-room wall, 100 x 100 cm or 125 x 125 cm; on a large bare wall or in a tall room, 170 x 170 cm. Hang it with the centre at eye level, about 145–150 cm from the floor. Because the ground is dark, it works best on a light wall with enough light on it.
Custom size, stretcher and frame
If none of our sizes suits your wall, we paint the work to your own measurement. If you choose “YES” under the Stretcher option, the canvas comes stretched on a wooden stretcher bar, ready to hang. Our 3D application is for choosing a frame only, not for showing the work on your wall. The frame is chosen separately and need not be part of the order.
Delivery and guarantee
We paint to order and deliver to sixteen countries in the European Union, among them Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany and France; the United Kingdom and Ireland are not currently among them. The painting arrives protectively packed and, if you chose “YES” under Stretcher, stretched on the stretcher bar; before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished work to approve. Production time depends on the size and on the studio’s workload. Every order is covered by our Returns and Refund Policy.
Frequently asked questions
What does Pregnant Woman and Death show?
Two tall draped figures against a near-black ground. At the right a pregnant woman in rust and ochre robes with a grey mantle over her belly and her head bowed; at the left the gaunt figure of Death in dark brown with a narrow white face. There is almost no background.
Where is the original and how big is it?
It is held by the National Gallery Prague under inventory number O 4396. It measures 100 x 100 cm, so it is square and fairly large; our 100 x 100 cm matches it exactly.
When did Schiele paint it?
In 1911, at twenty-one. It is one of his mature works.
Is it too dark for a home?
Serious rather than gloomy. The ground is near-black, but the figures themselves are warm – rust, ochre, dark brown – and they sit well with wood, leather and brick. We would suggest a study, a reading corner, a hallway or a dining room rather than a child’s room.
Is this a print?
No. Every canvas is painted by hand in oils by a painter, for your order. We photograph the finished work and send you the photograph for approval before it is dispatched.
How do I look after it?
Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators and damp. Dust it with a dry soft brush; never use water, detergent or furniture spray on an oil painting.
Does it work as a gift?
Yes; if you are unsure which size to choose, or you do not know the wall, there is a gift voucher and the recipient picks the size.
