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Nude in Front of a Mantel

1955
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 955
For Balthus, the female sitter was a lifelong subject— whether daydreaming, reclining, or sleeping, often nude or partly clothed, and typically charged with erotic content. Nude Before a Mirror is striking for the sculptural monumentality of the model and the soft, silvery light that bathes the figure and fills the room. The model’s hieratic pose evokes figures in an ancient Egyptian frieze.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Nude in Front of a Mantel
  • Artist: Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) (French, Paris 1908–2001 Rossinière)
  • Date: 1955
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 75 in. × 64 1/2 in. (190.5 × 163.8 cm)
    Framed: 77 3/4 × 71 in. (197.5 × 180.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.155
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

Audio

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4825. Nude Before a Mirror

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