The model for this painting was Lise Tréhot, who was Renoir's frequent model & companion during these years. She also posed for the presumed companion to this painting, ' Woman of Algiers' (Washington, DC, National Gallery of Art), in which she is depicted reclining on her back & clothed in a rich oriental costume. Here, Renoir associates the female nude seen in nature with the forces of nature itself, represented by the stream near which she lies. This was a traditional theme in French art, & in the mid-19th century it was also explored by such artists as Ingres & Courbet.