Woman with Folded Hands

Matisse’s favorite model in 1919-20 was the young Antoinette Arnaud. He produced a series of drawings that culminated in her best known portrayal, Mia's painting, White Plumes. This pen-and-ink composition belongs to another series of drawings of Antoinette, which featured her sporting a flowered hat and a dress vibrantly decorated with floral motifs. In Woman with Folded Hands, Matisse eliminated the large hat seen in related works by cropping the model’s head above the eyes. The viewer’s attention oscillates between the vividly described patterning on her dress, and her boldly contoured face.