EDGAR DEGAS | Danseuse rajustant sa coiffure

Estate of the Artist (sale: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Atelier Degas, 2ème Vente, 11-13th December, 1918, lot 144)
Nunès et Fiquet, Paris
Adolphe Friedmann, Paris
Georges Friedmann, Paris (by descent from the above; sale: Artcurial, Paris, 20th April 2009, lot 41)
Private Collection, Paris
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Paul-André Lemoisne, Degas et son œuvre, Paris, 1984, vol. III, no. 1385, illustrated p. 805

Executed on buff-coloured laid paper, laid down on board. There is a thin line of framer's tape running along all four edges, not visible when framed. There is a small pinhole to the upper left corner and there is a fine surface nick towards the lower left edge, not visible when framed. The sheet is time-stained and there are some scattered faint spots of foxing. 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. 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."

Executed circa 1900, Danseuse rajustant sa coiffure is a beautiful example in pastel of a subject that was to become one of Degas’ key preoccupations throughout his career: the ballet dancer. Pastel proved an ideal medium for Degas, allowing for a perfect fusion of line and colour. His practice was to draw the bold outlines of his composition in charcoal or chalk and then build up the surface with successive layers of pastel.

The artist’s lifelong interest in dance developed in the 1860s, when as a young man he regularly attended the ballet and other performances such as the opera, café-concerts and the circus. Degas was attracted to the spectacle and excitement of public entertainment and found an endless source of inspiration in the ballet, sketching the performers from life. In this manner, he was able to study both the natural unguarded gestures of dancers at rest and the stylised movements of classical ballet. From his earliest treatments of this theme, Degas showed interest not only in the public spectacle of ballet performances, but also in the more informal situations around them: the behind-the-scenes world of the rehearsal room or the dance class, the dancers’ preparation and tension prior to a performance and the more relaxed, casual moments, as captured in the present work, where the dancer is caught off stage, adjusting her hair.

The ballet dancer’s distinctive poise is so rarely replicated as faithfully or with such understanding as in Degas’ compositions. Praising Degas’ dancers Lilian Browse wrote: ‘Perhaps it is only a professional who can fully appreciate the depth of Degas’ understanding of the fundamental characteristics which mark the classical ballet dancer. There is a particular air, a way of carriage, a certain kind of seriousness which stamps her all over and makes her recognisable even in out-door clothes. […] Degas’ trained observation has seized upon all these intimacies, nothing has remained unnoticed, and that is why his pictures are as true in fact as they are in spirit to the art he has chosen to depict’ (Lilian Browse, Degas Dancers, London, 1949, pp. 59-60).