Lelia Caetani

1935

Not on view

By 1935, when Marguerite Caetani, Princess Bassiano, commissioned this portrait of her daughter Lelia, Balthus had grown tired and resentful of the painting commissions that were his only source of income. Depicted in the elegant Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Lelia is unfashionably dressed and appears considerately older than her twenty-two years. Her limbs are elongated and she dwarfs her surroundings, awkwardly towering over the trees and lamppost. Balthus later called his stylized, unflattering, and even bizarre portraits his "monsters."

Artwork Details

Title: Lelia Caetani
Artist: Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) (French, Paris 1908–2001 Rossinière)
Date: 1935
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 45 1/2 x 34 1/2 in. (115.6 x 87.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, 2011
Object Number: 2011.602
Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Girl at a Window, Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) French, Oil on canvas — Girl at a Window
Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)
1957

Study for an Illustration for "Wuthering Heights", Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) French, Pen and ink and pencil — Study for an Illustration for "Wuthering Heights"
Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)
1932–33

Summertime, Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) French, Oil on canvas — Summertime
Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)
1935

Palette, Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski) French, Painting palette — Palette
Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)
1985

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.