The reclining nude pose became an aesthetic challenge of great fascination to Matisse. As he worked on his great bronze sculpture "Large Seated Nude" between 1922 and 1929, he continued to explore aspects of the pose in many drawings and prints. In his series of large lithographs of a nude in an armchair, the simplified interior allows the figure to take on a monumentality similar to that of the sculpture on view nearby. After printing the first version, Matisse reworked the original drawing, adding the patterning and realistic setting we see in the second version of the composition, "Nude with Blue Cushion next to a Fireplace." He then transferred the new version to a second lithographic stone and printed it. The presence of both lithographs in Cone’s collection demonstrates her interest in following Matisse’s experimentation throughout successive iterations.