This master's thesis deals with a symbolism of tortoise in fine art. The text is limited to the European art only, to keep the range of the thesis sustainable. The thesis is devided into three parts. The first chapter focuses on literature, as a source of meanings for fine art. There are in detail described beginnings of literature about turtles and development of the dominant lines of their symbolism until 17th century. It is about "Tortoise-Lady", "Tortoise-Beast & Heretic" and "Slow Tortoise". Within the second part there are briefly mentioned the shades of turtle meanings that were not specified in the previous chapter due to the time period limitation. The third section includes a case study of the painting "Bathers with a Turtle" by Henry Matisse. It contains also occurrence of "Tortoise-Lady" within the history of art.

En Grèce ancienne, femmes et filles de citoyens, issues généralement des élites, accomplissaient de nombreux services religieux pour leurs communautés. Ces fonctions, observées du Vème av. J.C. au II/IIIème ap. J.C. en Grèce, Etolie, Thessalie, Epire, Macédoine, îles des Cyclades et de l’Egée et littoral Est d’Asie Mineure, se construisaient et évoluaient avec leur société. Elles permettaient aux femmes de se mouvoir dans la sphère publique, en corrélation avec leur position sociale, et contribuaient à valoriser leur parentés. Beaucoup de ces services s’inscrivaient dans une sphère féminine où le sexe déterminait les rites accomplis, établissant une certaine image de la femme que les pratiques initiatiques accomplies par leurs filles, via ces services, reconduisaient. Toutefois, tous les services religieux ne se définissaient pas par rapport à ce monde féminin, mais tous se lisaient dans un ensemble subtil où il n’est pas toujours aisé d’établir les prérogatives de chaque service par rapport aux autres. Dans cet ensemble, la prêtrise était la charge la plus prestigieuse mais les autres fonctions, désignées par des termes spécifiques exprimant l’aspect principal de la charge, n’étaient pas simplement des auxiliaires ou subalternes. Les services religieux féminins formaient un ensemble complexe, diversifié mais cependant homogène et présentant une profonde cohérence. / In ancient Greece, Thessaly, Aitolia, Epiros, Macedonia, Cyclads, Aegean’s Islands and the eastern coast of Asia Minor, citizen’s wives and daughters, stem from the élite, could carry out religious functions for their people. These functions, influenced by the evolution of the society and observed from the 5th BC to the 2nd/3rd AD, were an opportunity for women to act in the public field, according to their social status, and a way to increase the value of their relatives. Many of these offices were determined by the gender and included in a women’s world. They played a part to create a greek ideal of woman, and the initiatory rites performed by their daughters contributed to carry on this image. However, all the women’s religious functions were not in this women’s world but all formed a group in which they are closely related to each other. The priestess got the most prestigious office but the others functions, usually named by a specific term which indicate its most important sight, were not just only sub-offices. All these offices were part of a complex group with some diversity and fine distinctions and it’s not easy to understand each function and its prerogatives, but this group was still homogeneous and coherent.