Description
| Title: | Portrait of a Woman |
| Other titles: | Portrait of a Woman (catalogue) |
| Painter: | Henri Rousseau |
| Year painted: | not reliably dated |
| Original size: | 160 cm x 105 cm (height x width, as published) |
| Original technique: | oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | naive art (primitivism) |
| Held at: | Musée Picasso, Paris, France (as published) |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, ten sizes or a size made to order |
Portrait of a Woman is a painting by Henri Rousseau, oil on canvas; according to published records it is held by the Musée Picasso in Paris. What you see: a full-length woman in a black dress with a pale blue collar, standing on a balcony among potted flowers, with a large striped curtain hanging at the left. We paint it by hand in oils, in ten sizes or to measure, and send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
Portrait of a Woman
What is on the canvas?
A woman with dark hair combed smoothly back stands facing us. She wears a long black dress with puffed sleeves, a pale blue collar and belt, a gold earring and a ring. In her right hand she holds a sprig with a small flower, and with her left she leans on a tall, thin plant stem. Behind her is a balcony railing lined with pots of yellow pansies and pink daisies, and at the left a heavy curtain in red, white and black stripes falls, gathered with a colourful tasselled cord. In the pale sky at the upper right a bird is flying. Another portrait of a woman by the same painter is Portrait of the Second Wife of the Artist.
What does the painting mean?
Rousseau stands the woman in front of us like a statue: full length, facing forward, with a calm and serious gaze, and everything around her is painted with the same exactness, from every stripe of the curtain to every flower in the pots. The balcony, the flowers and the bird in the sky give the stern portrait something homely and festive. Who the woman is and when the painting was made, the source we could read does not say, so we do not guess. Another Rousseau portrait with nature behind the sitter is Portrait of a Woman in a Landscape.
Which size suits which wall?
The published size of the original is 160 cm high and 105 cm wide, a large upright portrait at almost life size; 68 x 105 cm keeps its proportion most exactly. Ten sizes are available: 48 x 75, 54 x 81, 58 x 90, 64 x 100, 68 x 105, 75 x 110, 80 x 120, 84 x 130, 90 x 135 and 99 x 145 cm. The upright format suits a narrow wall, a hallway or the space beside a door; for the effect of a real figure we recommend 80 x 120 cm or larger, and 58 x 90 cm for a smaller wall. Above a sofa the painting usually takes about two thirds of the width of the furniture; above a bed it should stay narrower than the headboard. Custom sizes are ordered through the made-to-order painting page, where you enter the width and height; we suggest keeping the proportion of the original and changing only the scale. A portrait by the same painter from the same collection is Portrait of the Artist with a Lamp.
How is the painting made, and does it come framed?
Your canvas is begun only after you order it, and is painted by hand in oils in our workshop in Slovenia, at the size you choose. The painter lays in the sky, the railing and the pots first, then the curtain with all its stripes, then the black dress and the collar, and last the face, the hands, the flower and the bird. We do not print, and no machine application is used, so no two versions are exactly alike. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and arrives ready to hang; a picture frame is not included in the price and is chosen separately. Before packing we photograph the finished painting and send you the photograph for approval; only then does it travel. A portrait of a child by the same painter is The Child with the Doll. The whole collection is in the Henri Rousseau gallery.
How is it delivered, and what do we guarantee?
We deliver to Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany. Depending on its size, the canvas travels rolled in a rigid tube or stretched on its frame, always in protective wrapping and as a tracked parcel. The making time depends on the size and is confirmed when you order. We guarantee that every painting is painted by hand and that you see a photograph of the finished work before dispatch; if anything in it is not as you wish, we correct it before it leaves the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original kept?
According to published records, at the Musée Picasso in Paris; we could not read the museum’s own page, so we do not link to it.
When was it painted?
The source we could read gives no date for it, so we give no year.
Is a frame included?
No. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and ready to hang without a picture frame; a frame can be chosen separately.
Is this a print?
No. It is painted by hand in oils, and the layers of paint can be seen and felt.
Is the painting suitable as a gift?
Yes, especially for someone who loves portraits, flowers and paintings with a story. If you would rather the recipient chose, there is a gift voucher.
- Subject: a full-length woman in a black dress with a blue collar on a balcony with potted flowers; a striped curtain at the left and a bird in the sky.
- Original: oil on canvas, 160 x 105 cm (as published), Musée Picasso, Paris; year not confirmed.
- Our version: hand-painted oil, ten sizes from 48 x 75 to 99 x 145 cm or to measure, unframed, photograph before dispatch.
- Of note: the original is 160 cm tall, so the woman in it is painted at almost life size.
