Alfred Stevens - La Femme à la boule (aka La Boule Argentée) (1871) Today French Boule Argentée (literally 'Silvered Ball') invariably means 'Disco Ball'; back then the term was used to describe these glass/mirror spheres that became fashionable in France in the second half of 19th century. They were often placed in gardens, so another name, Boule de jardin; in English they were called gazing balls. Stevens was an avid but eclectic collector, and his studios were always full of various props, furniture pieces, exotic fabrics and dresses and souvenirs of all types that he later embedded into his paintings.

This boule was standing in the flower garden of his new residence in Paris; both Claude Monet and Édouard Manet frequently painted there, too. The edgeless mirror simultaneously showing the woman, the garden and the artist was an ideal painter’s challenge.

Stevens made at least one other, large version of this painting (you can see it here) but most used this mirror ball more times.

The size of this painting is ~70x120 cm, without the frame (very pompous, as with most of his works):