A naked woman lies on a bed and looks at us, while a maid brings flowers from an admirer. Manet based the pose on Titian’s Venus of Urbino, but turned the goddess into a Paris courtesan.

When it was shown in 1865 it caused an uproar, and guards were posted to protect it. Look at the black cat at the foot of the bed, its back arched, where Titian had painted a sleeping dog.