Edgar Degas

Estate of the artist (and sold: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Atelier Degas, 3ème Vente, April 7-9, 1919, lot 365)
Collection Veillet, Paris
Galerie Grange, Paris
Arcade Gallery, London
Miss D.V. Watson (acquired from the above in 1944 and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 28, 1989, lot 37)
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Kubo Gallery, Tokyo (and sold: Sotheby's London, June 24, 1996, lot 34)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman 

Paul-André Lemoisne, Degas et son oeuvre, vol. III, Paris, 1946, no. 1443, illustrated p. 823

PExecuted on cream wove paper laid down on board. The edges are reinforced with tape. There appear to be restored tears across the upper corners and some restoration in the extreme lower right corner. Sheet is lightly time stained but the media is stable and richly textured. Old mat stain visible along the perimeter. Two small nicks to the very edge of the sheet on the right edge. Some minor surface abrasion in the lower right corner, otherwise fine. This work is in overall good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Executed in 1904, this is one of eight studies Degas executed of Louis Rouart and his wife, three of which portray the couple in this pose (for the other studies, see Paul-André Lemoisne, op. cit., nos. 1442 and 1444). Louis Rouart, a well-known art critic and collector, was the fourth son of Henri Rouart, a school friend of the artist. They had renewed their friendship during the 1870 siege of Paris and thereafter Degas dined weekly with the Rouart family, particularly after Louis' marriage with his friend, the daughter of the painter Henri Lerolle. 

"Louis, whether he is standing, leaning on his wife's chair, or seated in another beside her, crosses his legs and twists himself into positions which would be difficult to sustain. His wife's imperious gestures are not any more serene. And our eyes, caught up by the contours of their bodies or by Mme. Rouart's stole, are kept moving in a slow by continuous rhythm which is broken only by short, abrupt, and even irritable strokes of pastel. There is also something of the suggestion of a duel, for, although their positions are natural and possible ones, their bodies seem to represent opposing forces, which are nevertheless attracted to each other" (Jean Sutherland Boggs, Portraits by Degas, Los Angeles, 1962, p. 72).