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After the Bath
Edouard Manet French
Not on view
Degas acquired this drawing from Manet’s estate sale in 1884. In a handwritten inventory of his collection, he noted that it was “probably for a Susanna,” referring to the biblical story of a woman accosted by two men while bathing. However, the absence of other figures, such as those included in the red chalk drawing on view nearby, limits connection to the narrative. The stark contrast of light and shade across the woman’s body suggests an outdoor setting. Although her face is obliterated by shadow, her posture conveys interruption, linking the sheet to other works by Manet that depict bathers as surprised nymphs.
*This work was in Degas’s collection.
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