Gustav Klimt – Tree of Life (Detail)

Tree of Life (Detail) brings Klimt’s golden tree close: the trunk with its eye-shaped ornaments, the branches curling into spirals and the black bird, without the two figures that stand beside it in the full design. Klimt drew the tree in 1910–1911 for the Stoclet Frieze in Brussels. We paint this detail by hand in oil on canvas, the spirals in gold paint, mostly in tall formats from 40 x 75 to 100 x 190 cm or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.

Tree of Life (Detail) – Gustav Klimt

What does the detail show?

This is the heart of the tree, cut out tall and narrow. A short, thick trunk rises from a strip of green patterned ground and small round flowers. Black-and-white eyes, triangles and small ornaments sit on the trunk, and from it the branches climb upwards; each one curls into a gold spiral, then another, until they fill the canvas to the top edge.

On a branch on the right sits a black bird, a dark patterned shape, the only dark mass in all that gold. Small leaves and ornaments that look like flowers or eyes hang between the spirals. There is no figure in the detail: no Expectation and no embracing couple, only the tree.

Which part of the Stoclet Frieze is this detail?

It is the middle of the tree of life, the motif Klimt placed on both long walls of the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. In the full design the tree spreads its spirals sideways between two figures; here the frame is drawn tightly around the trunk, so the tree becomes a tall, quiet painting of its own.

The finished frieze is a mosaic in the house that the architect Josef Hoffmann built from 1905 to 1911 for Adolphe Stoclet, and it is privately owned. Klimt’s full-size working drawings are kept by the MAK, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna; one of them, catalogued as part 7, part of the tree of life, is 195.2 cm high and 93.8 cm wide, drawn on tracing paper with graphite, gold, pastel and several metals.

What do the black bird and the spirals mean?

The black bird is the most discussed detail of the tree. It is often read as a symbol of death, sitting inside a tree that otherwise stands for life and growth. Placed in the middle of the gold, it reminds you that the two belong together, which is also what the old symbol of the tree of life says: roots in the earth, branches in the sky, life and death on one trunk.

The spirals turn the branches into a pattern without end. Each curl turns inwards and opens again, so the eye keeps moving over the canvas. Klimt combined them with small eye shapes, triangles and flowers from the ornaments he used in those years, which is why the detail looks rich even without figures.

From drawing to mosaic

The industrialist Adolphe Stoclet had Josef Hoffmann build him a house in Brussels in which everything was designed as one work, and Klimt was given the dining room. From 1905 he worked on a frieze in three parts, and in 1910–1911 he drew the cartoons at full size. On them he wrote instructions for the craftsmen, who were to carry out the mosaic in the finest materials, among them enamel, mother-of-pearl and gold leaf.

The working drawings are in the MAK in Vienna, where one of the drawings of the tree is on show in the permanent collection “Vienna 1900”. The mosaic itself is still in the dining room in Brussels. The Stoclet Frieze is often described as the last great work of Klimt’s golden period.

The detail or the whole Tree of Life – which to choose?

Choose the detail if you have a narrow, tall wall: between two windows, beside a door, in a hallway or at the end of a corridor. It is calmer than the whole design, because there are no figures, only the gold tree and the bird. If you have a long wall above a sofa or a sideboard, choose Tree of Life instead, the whole design with Expectation and Fulfilment in a wide format.

Klimt’s details work well in pairs or groups. The gold of the tree goes with The Kiss, a softer, more tender detail is Mother and Child (detail), and for a bolder tall format, look at Hope I.

How is our hand-painted detail made?

We paint our detail after Klimt’s working drawing, in oil on canvas; nothing is printed. The painter first sets the trunk and the main spirals, because the whole detail depends on how the curls fill the height of the canvas. Then come the ground, the flowers at the foot, the eye shapes on the trunk and the black bird, and last the gold.

The gold is gold paint, not leaf: the painter draws it by hand along each spiral with a fine brush, layer after layer, so the lines stand slightly raised and change with the light. A hand-painted copy shows that relief; a printed oil painting reproduction cannot.

All three photographs show our hand-painted Tree of Life (Detail) hanging next to our hand-painted Expectation: two separate paintings, Expectation on the left under the spirals, our Tree of Life (Detail) on the right with the trunk and the black bird. The first photograph shows the pair on a white wall at an angle, with a small sign with a QR code below on the right. The second photograph is a close side view of the right canvas: the green dotted foot of the trunk, round flower ornaments and stars, the edge of the canvas and the sign that reads “Hand-painted reproduction of Gustav Klimt – Tree of Life”. The third photograph shows both canvases from the front. The detail itself is one tall canvas, as in the main photo at the top of the page; splitting it over two canvases is possible on request. Both can be ordered together as a matching pair with our Expectation, painted to the same height on request.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 50 x 95 or 60 x 115 cm between two windows or beside a door, 40 x 75 cm for a narrow hallway or above a small chest of drawers, and 80 x 150 or 100 x 190 cm for a tall, empty wall.

The tall sizes, width by height, are 40 x 75, 50 x 95, 60 x 115, 70 x 130, 80 x 150 and 100 x 190 cm. Two sizes have another shape: 70 x 100 cm, less tall, and a square 85 x 85 cm, for a wall where a tall format does not fit. A tall painting for the living room works best in a narrow gap between furniture, windows or doors; leave at least 15 cm of wall on each side so that it does not look squeezed.

Hang it with the centre about 150 cm above the floor; with the two largest sizes the lower edge can come down to about 60 to 70 cm above the floor.

Custom size, stretcher and frame

If none of the sizes fits, we paint the detail to measure, for example to the exact height of the wall between a chest of drawers and the ceiling, or as two or more canvases side by side. Send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a lead time. Every painting we make is stretched over a wooden stretcher and ready to hang.

For the moulding, use our 3D application: it shows every one of our frame profiles on this subject, so you can compare gold, silver, black, white and natural wood before deciding – the application is for choosing the frame only. If you would like to see how the painting will look on your own wall, that is our separate room placement service. A thin gold or wooden frame suits the narrow format; a heavy frame quickly boxes a narrow painting in.

Delivery and guarantee

Every painting is made to order in our studio in Slovenia, so allow 15 to 45 days depending on the size you choose. We ship it stretched and protected for transport, framed if you chose a frame, across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve; if anything is not right, we correct it while the canvas is still in our workshop. Our returns policy applies to every order.

Every other Klimt work we paint is in the Gustav Klimt gallery, and more about the painter himself is in our ten facts about Gustav Klimt.

Frequently asked questions

Which part of the Tree of Life does this detail show?

It shows the centre of the tree: the trunk with its eye shapes, the branches curling into gold spirals and the black bird on a branch on the right. The two figures of the full design, Expectation and Fulfilment, are left out, so the detail is calmer and fits tall, narrow walls. We offer the whole design as a separate painting.

Where is the original of the Tree of Life detail?

The tree is part of the Stoclet Frieze, a mosaic in the dining room of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, which is privately owned and closed to visitors. Klimt’s full-size working drawings for it, from 1910–1911, are kept by the MAK in Vienna, where a drawing of the tree is on show. More about the frieze is on Wikipedia.

What does the black bird in the Tree of Life mean?

It is usually read as a symbol of death. The bird sits dark and still inside a tree that otherwise stands for growth and life, and that contrast is the point: the tree of life joins life and death on one trunk. On our copy the bird is painted in deep black so that it stands out clearly against the gold spirals.

Why does the Tree of Life detail have no figures?

Because it is cut from the middle of the design, where only the tree grows. In the full frieze Expectation stands on one side and the embracing couple of Fulfilment on the other; this detail keeps the trunk, the spirals and the bird. Without figures it is quieter and works in rooms where a couple or a dancer would feel too personal, such as a study or a hallway.

Can the Tree of Life detail be painted on two canvases?

Yes. The photographs on this page show something else: our Tree of Life (Detail) hanging next to our Expectation, two separate paintings side by side. The standard detail is one tall canvas, but on request we divide the design over two or more canvases. Send us the size of your wall and we will suggest a layout.

Is the gold on the Tree of Life detail real gold?

No. Klimt planned the mosaic in gold leaf, enamel and mother-of-pearl, but we paint the spirals with gold paint, applied by hand with a brush, layer after layer. So the whole canvas painting, gold included, is painted by hand. Because the gold lines are slightly raised, they change as the light moves across the room during the day.

Which size of the Tree of Life detail fits between two windows?

For most gaps between windows or beside a door 50 x 95 cm or 60 x 115 cm is right; measure the free width and leave about 15 cm on each side. For a narrow hallway 40 x 75 cm is enough, and for a tall, empty wall 80 x 150 cm or 100 x 190 cm. A square 85 x 85 cm is also available.

Does the Tree of Life detail go with other Klimt paintings?

Yes, it works well next to a second Klimt. Its gold suits The Kiss, and its tall format pairs well with other details such as Mother and Child. Two narrow paintings on either side of a window or a bed make a calm, symmetrical wall. Our 3D application helps you choose matching frames for both.

Is the Tree of Life detail a good gift?

Yes, especially for a new home or a hallway that needs something warm, because it takes up little width. We paint it to order in 15 to 45 days, so order in good time; before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished work to approve. If you are unsure of the size, a wall art voucher lets the recipient choose the size and the subject.

• Subject: the trunk, the gold spirals and the black bird from Klimt’s Tree of Life, without figures.
• Original: Stoclet Frieze, Brussels; Klimt’s working drawings of 1910–1911 are in the MAK, Vienna.
• Ours: a Klimt reproduction in oil on canvas with gold paint, in tall formats, a square or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: you receive a photograph of the finished work for approval before dispatch.