The Twelve Princesses – Gustave-Max Stevens (1899)

Twelve princesses in shimmering gowns gather in the half-light, one holding open a casket of jewels, another kneeling with a mirror. Gustave-Max Stevens paints the heroines of the Brothers Grimm's tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses at the moment they prepare to slip away, as they do every night, to dance until their shoes are worn through.

Life-size, the sisters fill the canvas like a frieze: gowns of green, gold, violet and one of red, all heavy with patterns, and jewels woven into their hair, against a dark brick wall and a barred window. Some look out at us, others look away, as if keeping a secret.

Why it works on your wall

• Deep, jewel-toned colours: emerald, gold and red glow against a dark or warm-coloured wall
• A panoramic format: perfect above a sofa, a bed or a long sideboard
• Framing tip: a gold or dark wood frame brings out its theatrical richness

The painting

Stevens signed and dated the painting in 1899. It was shown that year in Brussels, then at the Paris Salon of 1901 under the title Filles de Rois, and is often considered his masterpiece. Born in Saint-Gilles near Brussels, Gustave-Max Stevens (1871–1946) trained in Brussels and Paris and co-founded the artists' group Le Sillon in 1893. His jewelled, dreamlike style owes much to the Pre-Raphaelites and to Belgian Symbolism.

• Artist: Gustave-Max Stevens (1871–1946)
• Date: 1899
• Technique: oil on canvas, about 193 × 290 cm
• Subject: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Brothers Grimm
• Movement: Symbolism

Your print

• Colours restored from a high-definition scan of the original
• Printed in Europe on thick archival matte paper, FSC certified
• From A4 to A0, plus 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 70×100 cm and 12×18 to 27×40 inch sizes, all made for standard frames
• Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube

Explore our fairy tale prints and our Pre-Raphaelite art prints.