Moreau, known as the teacher of Matisse and Rouault, was successful in the Salon, taught at the École des Beaux-Arts, and was a major figure in the art academy. With works combining rich colors, delicate lines, and subjects from mythology, the Bible, and literature, he established his own world in the 1860s. Here a woman in a gorgeous costume is standing, leaning on her left elbow, in a languid pose. The subject of this painting is unclear; its title is based on an inscription on the lower left. The colorful ornaments and garments of this woman, who has just finished dressing, are painted using the soft blurred effects and pooling of watercolors.