Odalisque with Book - Francesco Hayez
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Description
A 19th-century oil painting by Francesco Hayez, depicting a woman reading in a quiet, intimate setting.
Francesco Hayez, a central figure in Italian Romanticism, produced this work in 1866. The painting depicts a seated female figure, viewed in profile, engaged with an open book. The composition relies on the contrast between the pale, luminous skin of the subject and the deep, saturated red of the background and the cushion upon which she rests. Her posture is relaxed, with her gaze directed downward towards the text, creating a sense of quiet introspection.
Hayez was known for his technical precision and his ability to balance historical themes with intimate, domestic subjects. In this piece, the treatment of the fabric, draped loosely around the figure, demonstrates his skill in rendering texture and form. The lighting is focused, drawing the viewer's attention to the curve of the back and the hands holding the book, while the surrounding space remains shrouded in shadow. This approach directs the focus entirely to the figure and her solitary activity.
Unlike many of his more politically charged historical canvases, this work belongs to a series of studies focusing on the female form within private settings. The subject is presented without the typical artifice of the period, appearing natural and unposed. The palette is restrained, dominated by the interplay of warm red tones and soft flesh colours. The work reflects the artist's later period, where he moved away from grand narratives toward more personal, atmospheric compositions. The brushwork is smooth, typical of the academic training Hayez received in Venice and Rome, yet it retains the emotional weight characteristic of the Romantic movement. This print captures the subtle gradations of light and shadow present in the original oil painting, offering a clear view of the artist's careful attention to anatomical detail and the tactile quality of the materials depicted.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Odalisque with Book - Francesco Hayez
Artist Biography
Francesco Hayez
Hayez was born in Venice in 1791, the youngest of five sons. His father was a fisherman of French origin; his mother came from Murano. The family was poor enough that the boy was placed with an uncle, the antiquarian Giovanni Binasco, who hoped to train him as a restorer. Instead, Hayez won a scholarship to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1809, where he spent long hours studying Raphael in the Vatican Stanze and visiting the workshop of the sculptor Antonio Canova.
He settled in Milan in 1820 and became the leading figure of Italian Romanticism. His large historical paintings, depicting subjects from medieval Italian history, functioned as allegorical commentary on the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. The use of historical costume allowed him to evade Austrian censorship while communicating patriotic ideas that his Milanese audience decoded without difficulty.
In 1850 he became director of the Brera Academy, a position he held for decades. He rarely signed or dated his works, and often painted the same composition multiple times with minimal variation, which has complicated scholarly assessment. He died in Milan in 1882, at ninety, having witnessed the unification he had painted.
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