Painted in Paris in 1888, "Démasquée" (The Unmasked) is a seminal realistic work by the prominent Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The painting depicts a nude Parisian model sitting in the artist's studio on top of a traditional Finnish rya rug. Holding a black half-mask in her right hand, the subject captures a moment where conventional social masks are shed, revealing unfiltered existence. The composition contains numerous symbols of late 19th-century bohemian life and sharp artistic contrasts: a white lily, representing innocence, stands opposed to the explicit carnality of the model, while a guitar and a skull grinning in the background introduce the memento mori motif. The piece was originally commissioned by the Finnish art collector H.F. Antell, who ultimately rejected it upon completion, finding the depiction too daring and unconventional for the contemporary public.