Young Woman with Ibis
Degas made sketches of this composition in a notebook he used during his second stay in Rome in 1857–58. Originally conceived as a depiction of a pensive woman, the picture assumed a mysterious air when Degas added the imaginary Middle Eastern cityscape, the pink flowers, and the two red ibises around 1860–62. About the same time he also considered adding the brilliant birds to his large historical painting Semiramis Building Babylon (Musée d'Orsay, Paris).
Artwork Details
- Title: Young Woman with Ibis
- Artist: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
- Date: 1857–58; reworked 1860–62
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 39 3/8 x 29 1/2 in. (100 x 74.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Stephen Mazoh and Purchase, Bequest of Gioconda King, by exchange, 2008
- Object Number: 2008.277
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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