Aurore et Céphale

A mythological subject by the French classical painter Baron Pierre-Narcisse Guérin (1774-1833).

It demonstrates that Rococo was still going on.

Aurore et Céphale (1810)

Watercarrier

A painting called "Watercarrier" by the German artist Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922). Sometimes it's also called "Greek Slave".

Eastern Beauty

One more Eastern Beauty by the Spanish painter Luis Ricardo Falero (1851-1896), who was mixing up erotic, historical and oriental motives with great success.

Toilette of Venus

The oldest or "classical" form to paint a womens toilette, was that of Venus. Here by the French neoclassical painter Anne-Louis Girodet (1767-1824).

Mademoiselle Lange as Venus (1798)

Exotic Toilette

Here an example by the English painter Robert Barrett Browning (1846-1912) . If its historical or only exotical is not clear.
Before the mirror

La Toilette

Women bathing or combing her hair was always a very popular subject. Here an example by French painter Jean-Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870).

La Toilette (1870)

Kitsch vulgar

Here a nude by the once famous academic painter William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905).

Woman with Seashell (1885) - Femme au Coquillage

It looks innocent, but when you realize that coquillage in French has an obvious sexual implication it seems only vulgar.

More Gérôme

Another harem bath scene by the famous orientalist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme. Its similar enough to see, that this guy made a lot of money with this.

Nude Woman (Femme nue) (1889)

More Seignac

Another work of the semi serial production of the French painter Guillaume Seignac (1870 - 1924).

Libellule (c.1900)

The early Klimt

Allegory of Sculpture (1889) by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862–1918).

Klimt became later one of the most influential Symbolist painters and one of the leading members of the Vienna Secession. But this was later. This is still a very traditional academic painting.

Bathsheba and Peeping David

Taking her bath the beautiful Bathshaba was observed by king David. If this was intendet by her (she become the mother of Solomon) or not is still discussed.

But whether or not, because of the subject - a naked beautiful women bathing - she became in art the ancestor of all harem bathers and many more.


Bathsheba (c.1560) by the Flemish painter Jan Massys (c.1510 - 1575).

Another Bather

One of the most erotic harem bath paintings is in my opinion by the French painter Pierre-Louis Bouchard (1831-1889).

After the Bath (1889)

The Harem Bath

Here two paintings showing harem bath scenes. Both are by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) one of the most sucessfull painters of his time especially with orientalist and history paintings


What a life of luxury!