After the peak of Klimt’s Golden Phase in 1907-8, there was a decline in his use of gold leaf in his paintings, the relationship with his young protégé Egon Schiele developed, and he had separated from the Vienna Secession over its exclusion of crafts from its exhibitions.
Klimt still used precious metal leaf, including gold and platinum, in his Hope II (1907-08), originally titled Vision by the artist. As with his Hope I, it is a portrait of a woman who is heavily pregnant. The woman’s head is bowed and her eyes closed, which is echoed in the heads of three other women at the foot.
