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Portrait of Edgar Degas

Sitter Edgar Degas French
1876
Not on view
For his numerous informal portraits, such as this small profile of Edgar Degas, Desboutin preferred the directness of drypoint—a technique in which the artist directly scratches the image with a sharp needle, effectively drawing on the copper plate. With minimal lines, Desboutin skillfully created an intimate image of his friend, one of several known portraits of Degas by Desboutin. The two had a long-lasting and productive friendship, with Desboutin even encouraging Degas to try printmaking again in the mid-1870s, after more than a ten-year hiatus. In turn, Degas depicted Desboutin beside the actress Ellen Andrée in his now famous painting "In a Café (L'Absinthe)" of 1875–76 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of Edgar Degas
  • Artist: Marcellin Desboutin (French, Cérilly 1823–1902 Nice)
  • Sitter: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
  • Date: 1876
  • Medium: Drypoint
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 17 1/4 × 13 11/16 in. (43.8 × 34.8 cm)
    Plate: 3 7/16 × 2 13/16 in. (8.8 × 7.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1922
  • Object Number: 22.63.149
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Portrait of Edgar Degas, wearing a hat, Marcellin Desboutin French, Drypoint; first state of two
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