Two Sisters (On the Terrace) basket containing balls of wool. Over the railings of the terrace one can see shrubbery and foliage with the River Seine behind it. In 1880 to 1881, shortly before working on "Two Sisters", Renoir worked in this particular location on another well-known painting, "Luncheon of the Boating Party". Jeanne Darlot (1863—1914), a future actress who was 18 years old at the time, was posing as "the elder sister." It is unknown who posed as the "younger sister," but it is stated that the models were not actually related. Renoir began work on the painting in April 1881 and on July
The Painted Skin into English as "The Painted Skin" by the British sinologist Herbert A. Giles and was included in his 1880 translation of "Strange Tales". It reappeared with modifications in a subsequent edition, published in 1908. Since then, many other translators, including John Minford (2006), have published their translations of "The Painted Skin". On the surface, "The Painted Skin" is a story of a lustful scholar's encounter with a demon who disguises itself as a lady. Pu Songling intended for the story to be viewed as a parable of human desire and its negative consequences, and emphasised this with his appended comment,