In the final years of his life, Pierre-Auguste Renoir turned again and again to the theme of the odalisque, a figure borrowed from Orientalist fantasy and filtered through his own sensuous vision. Schlafende Odaliske (Odaliske mit Pantoffeln), painted in 1916, stands out among these works for its languid calm and the way it fuses the exotic with the domestic. The model’s identity remains uncertain, but the painting’s relaxed intimacy suggests Renoir was working with someone he knew well, perhaps one of his favored sitters from this period.

The painting’s German title, meaning “Sleeping Odalisque (Odalisque with Slippers),” hints at its journey through Central Europe, where it was catalogued and admired under this name. The odalisque, reclining on a divan, is caught in a moment of unguarded repose, her body draped in loose fabrics and her feet still clad in slippers—a detail that grounds the fantasy in everyday comfort. Renoir’s brushwork, loose and luminous, caresses the curves of flesh and folds of cloth, blurring the boundaries between figure and setting. The warm, golden light pools across her skin, inviting the viewer into an atmosphere of ease and sensuality.

Unlike the cool detachment of Ingres’s La Grande Odalisque, Renoir’s approach is intimate and tactile, emphasizing softness and warmth over exotic spectacle. The slippers, a humble accessory, become a focal point, suggesting both the staged nature of the pose and the artist’s affection for the ordinary. The precise early history of Schlafende Odaliske is not fully documented, but it likely remained in private hands for decades after Renoir’s death in 1919, as was common for his late nudes. By 1916, Renoir was painting despite severe arthritis, often directing assistants to help with canvases—a testament to his determination and evolving technique.

The painting reflects the artist’s late style: rich color, simplified forms, and a focus on the pleasures of sight and touch. Today, the work is recognized as part of Renoir’s sustained exploration of the female nude, a subject that occupied him throughout his career and found new expression in these late odalisques. Its current location is not widely publicized, but it continues to be cited in catalogues and exhibitions as a representative example of Renoir’s final artistic phase.