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Violinist, Study for "The Dance Lesson"

ca. 1878–79
Not on view
Degas sensitively conveyed the union of a musician with his instrument in this work. It represents an intermediary stage in the development of the violinist featured in "The Dance Lesson" (1971.185). Based on a more preliminary sketch, Degas worked up the composition in pastel and squared it for transfer. Curiously, he executed it on the back of a bookseller's advertisement; however, the green tone of the paper perfectly suited the use of pastel.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Violinist, Study for "The Dance Lesson"
  • Artist: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
  • Date: ca. 1878–79
  • Medium: Pastel and charcoal; squared in charcoal; letterpress printing on verso
  • Dimensions: 15 3/8 x 11 3/4 in. (39.1 x 29.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1918
  • Object Number: 19.51.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), Edgar Degas  French, Oil on canvas
Edgar Degas
1865
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
French
late 18th or early 19th century
At the Circus: The Spanish Walk (Au Cirque: Le Pas espagnol), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec  French, Graphite, black and colored pastel, and charcoal on off-white heavy wove paper
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
1899
Woman Having Her Hair Combed, Edgar Degas  French, Pastel on light green wove paper, now discolored to warm gray, affixed to original pulpboard mount
Edgar Degas
ca. 1886–88
Osage Warrior, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin  French, Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, American
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1805–7

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