Edgar Degas

Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York
Norton Simon & Lucille Ellis Simon, Los Angeles (acquired from the above in 1964)
Lucille Ellis Simon, Los Angeles (acquired in 1970)
Thence by descent

John Rewald, Degas: Works in Sculpture, A Complete Catalogue, New York, 1944, no. III, illustration of another cast pp. 36-37
Pierre Borel, Les Sculptures inédites de Degas, Geneva, 1949, original wax model illustrated n.p.
Leonard von Matt & John Rewald, Degas Sculpture: The Complete Works, New York, 1956, no. III, illustration of another cast pl. 6
Pierre Pradel, "Quatre cires originales de Degas" in La Revue de l'Art, January-February 1957, illustration of the original wax model p. 30
Franco Russoli & Fiorella Minervino, L'Opera completa di Degas, Milan, 1970, no. S47, illustration of another cast p. 143
Charles W. Millard, The Sculpture of Edgar Degas, Princeton, 1976, pp. 20 & 35
John Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture, Catalogue Raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, no. III, illustration of the wax version and another cast pp. 48-49
Anne Pingeot, Degas, sculptures, Paris, 1991, no. 47, illustration of the original wax model p. 48
Sara Campbell, "Degas, The Sculptures: A Catalogue Raisonné" in Apollo, vol. CXLII, no. 402, August 1995, no. 38  illustration of another cast p. 29
Joseph S. Czestochowski & Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures: Catalogue Raisonné of the Bronzes, Memphis, 2002,  no. 38, original wax model illustrated p. 195; illustration of another cast p. 194
Sara Campbell, Richard Kendall, Daphne Barbour & Shelley Sturman, Degas in the Norton Simon Museum, vol. II, Pasadena, 2009, no. 32, illustration of another cast p. 226; illustration of the original wax model p. 227
Suzanne Lindsay, Daphne S. Barbour & Shelley G. Sturman, Edgar Degas Sculpture, Washington, D.C., 2010, illustration of the original wax model p. 368

The work is in excellent condition. bronze features a mottled dark reddish and golden brown patina. The surface exhibits minor wear and scratches consistent with age.
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.

Degas’ two engrossing passions, horseracing and ballet, provided him with a rich and exciting social life and the artistic inspiration for the greatest part of his oeuvre. As a member of the prestigious Jockey Club, Degas was a habitué of the racecourses at Deauville and Longchamps, where he could study the beauty of thoroughbred horses at close quarters. Images of racing were a central part of his artistic output from the 1870 onward, and his pastels, paintings and sculptures of the subject are among his most celebrated works. Where in his painted works, the primary subject is the spectacle of the racing event—brightly colored jockeys' silks and tension before the race—his bronzes, such as Cheval arrêté, are a celebration of the elegance and power of the horse's framework. In the present work Degas concentrates on the graceful proportions of the animal’s physiognomy, while the unwavering forward-facing stare of the horse’s profile and raised tail convey a sense of alertness, as though the animal is caught in the isolated moment of tension before a race, as if about to take a step.