The Snake Charmer
1907 Musée d'Orsay
About this artwork
This large-scale canvas depicts a mysterious figure playing a flute in a dense, lush jungle landscape. It is one of Rousseau's most iconic 'jungle' paintings, characterized by its meticulous, stylized foliage.
Did you know?
Henri Rousseau was a self-taught tax collector who never actually traveled to a jungle; his vivid depictions were inspired by botanical gardens and taxidermied animals he visited in Paris. This painting was commissioned by Robert Delaunay's mother, Berthe Comtesse de Delaunay, who had traveled to India and requested a depiction of the exotic landscape she had experienced. The eerie, luminous moon and the stylized nature of the plants exemplify Rousseau's dreamlike, visionary approach to painting.
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The Snake Charmer
Henri Rousseau, 1907
