A century-old mystery seems about to be solved! It is about the nature of the fruit that the Tahitian woman bears in this famous painting by Gauguin. Art history experts said it was a gourd - Lagenaria siceraria - and that the woman was most likely going to fetch water. However...
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| Gourds or calabashes (Lagenaria siceraria) |
Indeed, the Polynesians used gourds (calabashes) to fetch water. Cendant the gourds used were generally dry, brown in color, and open at the end. The fruit that the woman bears is green, still immature. In addition, the fruit is not open, it can be seen very clearly in its rounded shape at the end, on the side of the face. We see two kinds of cords that could be used to hold the gourd, as shown in the illustration photo, but for these cords to be in place, the fruit must first be open, which is not the case. Then there is a darker green color located at the very end of the fruit. But calabashes do not have darker floral parts on the side of the peduncle, and - it seems - no variety of calabash is distinguished by a darker green part at its end.
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| Papaya (Carica papaya) |
It looks like a papaya, but the fruit looks very large, although a few varieties produce very large, elongated papayas. On the other hand papayas generally have a single peduncle, quite thick and short. We do not see then what would correspond to the two "cords" which seem to allow the woman to hold the fruit. The papaya hypothesis also does not explain the characteristic dark green color at the end of the fruit. Say goodbye to papayas.
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| Avocado (Persea americana) |
You could think of an avocado, but the fruit seems too big. Avocados usually have a single stalk, and usually come off the tree without the stalk. We do not see then what would correspond to the two "cords" which seem to allow the woman to hold the fruit. There are light green colored avocados, but the Avocado hypothesis also does not explain the characteristic dark green color at the end of the fruit. Exit the lawyers (sorry the avocado!). French English speaking people will understand the joke...
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| Grapefruit (Citrus maxima, Citrus grandis or Citrus decumana) |
There are large pyriform (pear-shaped) grapefruits (or pomelo) whose appearance corresponds well to the fruit that the woman is holding. However, it seems that these varieties are recent creations, originating from China, which very probably did not exist at the time. On the other hand, grapefruits usually have a single stalk, and usually they come off the tree without the stalk. We do not see then what would correspond to the two "cords" which seem to allow the woman to hold the fruit. Say goodbye to grapefruits!
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| Coconut! (Cocos nucifera) |
In French Polynesia, various varieties of coconut palm, generally intended for drinking or handicrafts, have pear-shaped fruits. The young fruits of the coconut palm are most often detached from the bunch with the spikelet and their floral parts. In light green fruit, these floral parts are most often a darker green, which is what you see at the end of the fruit that the woman is holding (see image). In addition, the coconut spikelet is in two parts, one before the fruit and the other after, which seems to explain the two "cords" held by the woman. These cords, as shown in the photo, correspond well to the two parts of the spikelet which are connected to the young fruit held by the woman. In all probability, the fruit held by the Polynesian woman in this painting by Gauguin is a young coconut!.
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As part of my recent study on Gauguin and the coconut palms, here is my favorite painting, because of all the symbols it evokes: coconut palms fluttering like yellow butterflies, panicking because of her beauty around a naked woman….For illustrating this section, we can produce on request at least one large size HD poster (up to 180x100 cm in size). These posters should be adapted to each country, on a case-by-case basis, in order to prominently feature locally produced coconut products, and to promote the marketing of these local products.
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| To see our poster on Coconut palms in Art painting, (With 3 coconut trees painted by Gauguin) Click on the picture. |
©R. Bourdeix, 2021, section CGAG.
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