Edgar Degas – Seated Dancer – Mixed Media on Paper
Expressive figurative study of a seated female dancer, rendered with a delicate combination of drawing and softly applied color. The composition captures the model in an informal resting pose, one leg extended forward while the other bends at the knee, creating the sense of immediacy and observation associated with Degas’s celebrated studies of dancers behind the scenes.
The figure is developed through confident graphite and charcoal-like contours, heightened with passages of pastel or colored chalk in pale blue, white, green and warm flesh tones. Rather than presenting a polished theatrical performance, the work focuses on a private moment of repose, emphasizing gesture, posture and the physical presence of the sitter. The loose, searching lines and selective accents of color give the sheet the character of an intimate studio study.
The composition is signed “Degas†at the lower right. No additional inscriptions or markings are visible in the photograph provided.
TECHNIQUE
Mixed media on paper, including graphite/charcoal and colored pastel or chalk.
Unframed: 11 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.
PROVENANCE
Private collection.
Condition
Overall good vintage condition consistent with age and medium. Light surface wear, minor toning and handling marks may be present. The sheet is unframed. Please review the photograph carefully, as it forms an integral part of the condition description.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Expressive figurative study of a seated female dancer, rendered with a delicate combination of drawing and softly applied color. The composition captures the model in an informal resting pose, one leg extended forward while the other bends at the knee, creating the sense of immediacy and observation associated with Degas’s celebrated studies of dancers behind the scenes.
The figure is developed through confident graphite and charcoal-like contours, heightened with passages of pastel or colored chalk in pale blue, white, green and warm flesh tones. Rather than presenting a polished theatrical performance, the work focuses on a private moment of repose, emphasizing gesture, posture and the physical presence of the sitter. The loose, searching lines and selective accents of color give the sheet the character of an intimate studio study.
The composition is signed “Degas†at the lower right. No additional inscriptions or markings are visible in the photograph provided.
TECHNIQUE
Mixed media on paper, including graphite/charcoal and colored pastel or chalk.
Unframed: 11 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.
PROVENANCE
Private collection.
Condition
Overall good vintage condition consistent with age and medium. Light surface wear, minor toning and handling marks may be present. The sheet is unframed. Please review the photograph carefully, as it forms an integral part of the condition description.
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
