Bows

A young woman in a dark, gold-patterned jacket with a pink sash stands within a gilded arched frame, three large fabric rosettes - blue, pink and rose - pinned in her hair. She holds a white orchid blossom in one hand while surrounded by tall vases of red, pink and orange roses, dried grasses, and a hanging woven basket trailing white orchids, with loose petals scattered on the table before her.

The scene is painted in dense, jewel-like color - the deep greens and blacks of the jacket set against warm rose and marigold tones of the flowers - on a flat black ground that heightens the decorative, almost heraldic arrangement. Crisp, even light and meticulous detail give the whole a festive, formal stillness.