Bather and Maid (La Toilette de la baigneuse)
1900–1901
Oil on canvas
145.5 × 97.5 cm (57.3 × 38.4 in)
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 02, North Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
Like many of Renoir's paintings, Bather and Maid presents a fantasy of the female nude in perfect harmony with nature, free from the constraints of modern life. The subject looks totally at ease in her surroundings, sitting comfortably on soft fabric as an attendant combs out her long locks. Cast-off garments fill out the left foreground, heightening the contrast between the natural and the artificial, between the nude body and fussy modern attire.
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