Stevens Alfred La Boule De Verre Alfred Stevens (1823-1906)

The composition presents a woman standing before a large glass sphere mounted on a tripod. She is positioned in what appears to be a lush garden setting, abundant with flowering shrubs and trees that create a dense backdrop of greens and reds. The light suggests late afternoon or early evening, casting long shadows across the grass.
Here we see the woman dressed in an elaborate, pale blue gown with intricate detailing around the collar and sleeves. A wide-brimmed hat adorns her head, further emphasizing her refined status. She holds a black fan in one hand and appears to be gazing intently into the glass sphere with a gesture of apparent surprise or perhaps melancholy.
Within the sphere itself, a miniature landscape is reflected – a scene that mirrors the garden surrounding her but rendered in a softened, dreamlike quality. A smaller version of the woman herself is visible within this reflection, seemingly observing the larger world through the lens of the glass. The perspective shift creates an intriguing sense of distance and separation.
The painting’s subtexts revolve around themes of perception, illusion, and self-reflection. The glass sphere acts as a symbolic barrier, isolating the woman from the reality she observes while simultaneously allowing her to contemplate it. The mirrored image within suggests a fragmented identity or perhaps a yearning for connection with a past version of herself. The elaborate attire and garden setting imply a privileged existence, yet the woman’s expression hints at an underlying sense of isolation or introspection that transcends her social standing.
The artists use of light and shadow contributes to the overall mood of quiet contemplation. The soft focus on the reflected landscape enhances the dreamlike quality, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. The composition invites viewers to consider the nature of observation, the complexities of identity, and the potential for distance even within proximity.