Resting her elbows on a striped tablecloth, ballerina and musician Henriette Darricarrère gazes nonchalantly at the viewer. Showing her dressed in the traditional costume of a Spanish dancer and surrounded by an exquisite floral backdrop, this intimate portrait is typical of Henri Matisse’s Nice period (1917–30), in which he frequently depicted voluptuous female figures in various stages of exotic (un)dress in luxurious interiors.
