A nude woman doing her hair before a mirror

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg painted A Nude Woman Doing Her Hair Before a Mirror around 1841, a work unusual in his predominantly classical and architectural output that demonstrates his engagement with the nude figure late in his career. As professor at the Copenhagen Academy he emphasized rigorous drawing from the life model, and this nude study reflects both his pedagogical commitment to anatomical observation and his engagement with the tradition of the domestic female nude that was simultaneously intimate and classically considered. The mirror reflection — showing the figure's back where the viewer sees her front — demonstrates his interest in spatial and optical problems within figure painting.

Eckersberg renders the nude figure with precise, naturalistic observation, using clear light and sharp modeling that avoid both idealization and sensationalism. The mirror creates a doubled composition that adds visual complexity to the straightforward study.