The several dozen nudes Modigliani painted between 1916 and 1919 constitute many of his best known works. The nudes were commissioned by Modigliani’s dealer and friend Léopold Zborowski, who lent the artist use of his apartment, supplied models and painting materials, and paid him between fifteen and twenty francs each day for his work. The paintings from this arrangement were thus different from his previous depictions of friends and lovers in that they were funded by Zborowski, either for his own collection, or as a favour to his friend or with an eye to their commercial potential.
Modigliani’s Seated Nude of 1916 is perhaps the artist’s most beautiful nude painting and is believed to represent Iris Tree (1897-1968), an English poet, actress and artists’ model, who was often described as a bohemian, an eccentric, a wit and something of an adventuress. Tree was highly sought after by artists as a model, being painted by Augustus John, simultaneously by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry. She was notorious at the time for her bobbed hair, unconventional clothing and boisterous behaviour, causing much scandal. Studying at the Slade School of Art, Tree contributed verse to the 1917 Sitwell anthology Wheels; her published collections were Poems (1920) and The Traveller and Poems (1927).
The portrait is notable for its delicate handling of line, portrayed as heavy in places and unbroken in others. A strong outline surrounds the entire painting, unifying it with the pronounced black outline of the sitter. Unlike many of the other nudes, the woman looks down, her eye appearing closed, adding to the voyeuristic impression of viewing the painting.