Woman Bathing

The composition is taken from Clouet’s painting Diane de Poitiers bathing, but this is the mistress of King Henry IV with his sons, Cesar and Alexander, the latter in the arms of his nursemaid. The latter, who was nicknamed the “almost queen”, was the perfect embodiment of 16th century beauty, dressed in a simple transparent veil that reveals the outlines of her body, she stands out against the red background of a heavy theatrical curtain. The roses and pearls, attributes of Venus, associate the young woman with the goddess of Love and Beauty.