FRANÇOIS MAURICE ROGANEAU Bordeaux 1883 - Aix en Provence 1973 Female nude in the harem Signed F M Roganeau lower right Oil on canvas, 75X120 cm Provenance: Rome, private collection A naked young woman, beautiful as a reclining Venus, leans out to admire her own image reflected in the mirror of water in the pool below. Beside her, a chest full of precious jewellery and a basket overflowing with fruit enrich the scene. In this large canvas, Roganeau combines allegory, symbolism, mythology and the timeless charm of classical nudity. The jewellery chest and the basket of fruit represent ephemeral beauty, the transience of material riches and at the same time highlight the link between sensuality and abundance. The palette, dominated by bright tones, contributes to creating a warm and sensual atmosphere where light plays a key role in giving volume to the female figure. Francis Maurice Roganeau, a multifaceted artist, was a painter, illustrator and sculptor. He studied under Gaston Veuvenot Leroux and Paul Quinsac at the École des Beaux-Arts, before joining Jean-Léon Gérôme's atelier. In 1906, he won the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome with the painting The Family. Between 1929 and 1958, he directed the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1932.