Edgar Degas

Estate of the Artist (sale: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Atelier Degas, 3ème Vente, 7-9th April 1919, lot 191)
Ambroise Vollard, Paris (purchased at the above sale)
Sam Salz, Inc., New York
Private Collection (acquired from the above; sale: Sotheby's, New York, 12th November 1990, lot 2)
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Executed on pale pink laid paper, not laid down. The sheet is hinged to the overmount on the verso of the upper corners. The edges are slightly deckled. The sheet is lightly time-stained with a few scattered faint spots of foxing and a faint mount stain along the perimeter. There is a repaired diagonal tear of approx. 5cm. running from the lower left edge near the figure's ankle and a flattened crease of approx. 6cm. running horizontally from the centre of the left edge. There is some speckling to the surface of the sheet along the right edge, in the lower right corner and at the centre of the left edge. There are five small spots of medium at the centre of the left edge and along the left of the upper edge which are possibly indications of retouching to artist pinholes. This work is in very 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

No other subjects in Degas' œuvre are as visually enticing and seductive as his bathers. These voyeuristic scenes of nude women, pampering themselves at their toilettes, have earned their place among the most desirable images in the history of modern art. At the turn of the century, Degas devoted his production almost exclusively to these intimate depictions so that he could study the contours of the female form at close proximity. Many of the models for these compositions were the young dancers from the ballet, who were now invited to pose for long hours in the drafty confines of Degas' studio. No matter how strenuous these sessions were for his models, their discomfort is never evident in these depictions. In this sensuous charcoal depiction of a standing female, Degas depicts his subject as she prepares to bathe. He captures a fleeting moment of movement, focusing on her torso as she leans forward and accentuating the elongation of the figure's legs. Her creamy pink flesh is expressed by the tone of the sheet, largely unadorned but for the deft charcoal shading.

As opposed to his studies of ballerinas, his renditions of bathers were freed from social expectations and the choreographed poses of the stage. Degas is quoted on this point as follows: 'Until now the nude has always been presented in poses which assume the presence of an audience, but these women of mine are decent, simple human beings who have no other concern than that of their physical condition [...] it is as though one were watching them through a keyhole' (quoted in Goetz Adriani, Degas: Pastels, Oil Sketches, Drawings, London, 1985, p. 86). Degas' achievement in the Bathers series is thus to continue a degree of realism previously unknown.