Three Standing Female Nudes (recto)Two standing Female Nudes (verso)
- Artist: William Etty
- Date: 1815 - 1845
- Medium: oil on millboard
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the “Three Standing Female Nudes (recto)Two standing Female Nudes (verso)” by William Etty. Painted sometime between 1815 and 1845, the work is an oil on millboard – a sturdy cardboard backing finished with gesso that was common for large-scale works of the era. Etty, an English painter celebrated for his bold depictions of the human form, uses a vibrant palette to render the subtle play of light across the figures’ skin. The recto presents three women positioned in a relaxed, almost conversational stance, while the verso shows two standing side‑by‑side, creating a complementary symmetry. Notice how Etty balances the composition: the figures are proportionally accurate yet slightly idealized, a hallmark of his style that drew both admiration and controversy in his time. The millboard gives the piece a slightly matte texture, allowing the oil layers to sit flush and giving the surfaces a gentle, almost translucent quality. Though the exact date remains unclear, the early‑mid‑19th‑century style and Etty’s signature treatment of flesh place this work firmly within his mature period.
See it in person
Three Standing Female Nudes (recto)Two standing Female Nudes (verso) hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
