Nude and fur hat

Nude and Fur Hat from 1911, also held at the Villa Flora in Winterthur, introduces the unusual accessory of a fur hat into the domestic nude setting — a compositional choice that gives the figure a specific, slightly eccentric character. The hat may have belonged to Marthe de Méligny, or it may be a studio prop; in either case it functions as an individualizing detail that resists the generalized nudity of the academic tradition. The Villa Flora's twin holdings of this and Nude with Covered Legs from the same year suggest that both were acquired together, possibly directly from Bonnard or from an early exhibition.

The fur hat introduces a textural counterpoint to the smooth skin tones, and Bonnard renders it with different brushwork — shorter, denser strokes — to convey its tactile quality. The juxtaposition of nude body and fashionable accessory creates a domestic intimacy quite distinct from the classical nude tradition.