Gabrielle Vallotton agenouillée devant une glace sur le divan de l’atelier de la rue des Belles-Feuilles

The full French title of this 1905 work describes Gabrielle Vallotton — the painter's wife — kneeling before a mirror on the divan of the studio at the rue des Belles-Feuilles in Paris. The specificity of the title is rare for Vallotton, who typically avoided locating his domestic subjects so precisely. Gabrielle was the daughter of the Bernheim-Jeune gallery family, whose connection brought Vallotton financial stability after their 1899 marriage. The rue des Belles-Feuilles studio was his principal working space. The work depicts a private, semi-private moment of a woman examining herself in a mirror — a motif connecting to his recurring interest in female self-reflection. The divan and the mirror are both associated in his imagery with femininity and self-regard, but the title's domestic specificity — naming the woman, the address, the furniture — prevents generalisation, making this an intimate record of a specific life.

Oil on canvas with Vallotton's smooth, controlled handling. The mirror's reflective surface is indicated through tonal difference rather than literal optical accuracy. The divan's soft surface is distinguished from the harder architectural elements through slight tonal variation in the fabric areas. The kneeling posture creates a compact, self-enclosed compositional mass.