The Dance
Henri Matisse
1909–1910
Maternité
Artwork Specifications
- Dimensions
- 94 × 72 cm
Meet the artist
Paul Gauguin1848–1903 · French
Where to see it
The State Hermitage Museum St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, RussiaGauguin's Maternité, painted in 1899 in Tahiti, is tied to the birth of his son Émile. Three women occupy a frieze-like space against a seashore. A standing woman at center holds white flowers in prayer-like clasping; a seated figure nurses an infant; a third holds fruit.
The painting transforms domestic intimacy into sacred ritual, echoing European Adoration scenes filtered through Polynesian life. A goat in the foreground underscores the harmony between humans and nature.
Acquired after Gauguin's death; a smaller variant sold at Sotheby's in 2004 for $39.2M. This primary version is at the State Hermitage Museum.
