@BenHigbie Those 'boxes' are probably legal bundles and the bound, blindfolded woman may represent liberty or justice.

@PIT17@mastodon.social The painting shows two naked women lying asleep on a bed entwined in an erotic embrace. The setting is a bedroom with various textiles and ornamental furnishing. In the background there is a dark blue velvet curtain and in the right corner a table with a decorative flower vase. In the foreground is a small wooden table holding three items – a colored flacon (a small vessel), a transparent crystal vase, and a cup. Except for these few furnishings, there is nothing in the painting to overshadow the main image – the women. One of the sleeping women is redhead, the other is brunette. For color contrast, Courbet worked curves between the women. A broken pearl necklace and a hairpin scattered in the bed reference the nature of their previous activity. #alt4you #alttext #roommates