Odalisque
Odalisque c1874 by French Painter Jules Lefebvre (1843 – 1912); a figure painter, theorist and educator of many famous artist.
Originally an Odalisque was a female attendant or chambermaid in a Turkish Seraglio (a sequestered living quarter used by wives and concubines in an Ottoman household.); over time though the definition came to mean a female slave or concubine in a harem.
This Odalisque painting shows a nude female figure with her back to the viewer who is laying down on a large padded red sheet and a deep red large pillow.
All of this is resting on the floor which is covered with a beautifully decorated carpet; and beneath the pillow and she is a large blue beaded necklace.
By her head are additional red pillows that are covered by large yellow sheets; while at the end of her feet by the wall is a large incense burner and a large brass platter that contains fruit, which comprises oranges, tangerines, and pomegranates; as well as a blue bottle of wine.
This is a retouched digital art old masters reproduction of a public domain image.
Info Below Derived From Wikipedia.org
Jules Lefebvre was a pupil of Léon Cogniet (), and in 1852 he entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts.
In 1861 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome; and between 1855 and 1898, he exhibited 72 portraits in the Paris Salon.
The majority of his paintings are portraits of beautiful women; with his most notable portraits, being those of M. L. Reynaud and the Prince Imperial c1874.
Then in 1891 he became a menber of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts; and was also a professor at the Académie Julian in Paris; and among his 1500 students he had quite a few that would go on to be famous.
