Hope II is a oil-on-canvas painting with added gold and platinum by the Austrian
Symbolist artist
Gustav Klimt, created in 1907–1908. It depicts a pregnant woman with closed eyes, with a human skull representing death appearing from behind her stomach – perhaps a sign of the dangers of
labour. At the foot of the painting, three other women bow their heads, as if praying or mourning. The square painting measures 110.5 centimetres (43.5 in) on each side, and is now in the collection of the
Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Painting credit: Gustav Klimt