← Edgar Degas

Portrait of a Woman (Mme Albert Bartholomé (?))

Original title: Portrait of a Woman (Mme Albert Bartholomé (?))

Artist

Edgar Degas

Date

modeled 1890s, cast 1920

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

Overall: 4 5/8 × 6 1/4 × 7 in. (11.7 × 15.9 × 17.8 cm)

Credit line

H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929

kurzbeschreibung

Edgar Degas modeled this bronze figure in the 1890s; it was cast in 1920. It shows a woman lying on her back with her arms folded under her head. The work belongs to Degas's later engagement with the female nude.

Description

A woman lies on her back, her head turned to the left. Her arms are crossed under her head, her legs bent. The face and hair are worked in detail, the body shaped naturalistically. Incoming light models the dark bronze and brings out its surface texture. The neutral background pushes the figure to the fore.

Context

The sculpture was made in the 1890s, when Degas was intensively occupied with the female nude. Who the sitter was is not clearly established; the attribution to Mme Albert Bartholomé is considered uncertain. The 1920 cast was made posthumously, after Degas's death in 1917.

Impact

The woman's relaxed, intimate pose conveys a quiet, private mood. The fine modeling and lighting underscore the sensual presence of the bronze body.

Technique

Bronze casting, a process that reproduces wax modeling precisely. The surface shows dark, patinated bronze, which gains a lively texture through areas that reflect and absorb light.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)