- 390
Edgar Degas
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
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Description
- Edgar Degas
- Chanteuse de café-concert
- Signed Degas (upper left)
- Pastel over monotype on paper
- 9 1/8 by 11 1/8 in.
- 23.2 by 28.4 cm
Provenance
Robert Kelso Cassatt, Philadelphia
Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired in 1942)
Justin K. Thannhauser, New York (acquired in 1944)
Arthur Sachs Collection, Paris & Santa Barbara
Private Collection, Paris (by descent from the above)
Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired in 1942)
Justin K. Thannhauser, New York (acquired in 1944)
Arthur Sachs Collection, Paris & Santa Barbara
Private Collection, Paris (by descent from the above)
Exhibited
San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 19th Century French Drawings, 1947, n.n.
New York, Wildenstein & Co., A Loan Exhibition of Degas, 1949, no. 45 (titled Woman in a loge)
Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Degas Monotypes, 1968, no. 9 (titled Café-Concert Singer)
New York, Wildenstein & Co., A Loan Exhibition of Degas, 1949, no. 45 (titled Woman in a loge)
Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum, Degas Monotypes, 1968, no. 9 (titled Café-Concert Singer)
Literature
Eugenia Parry Janis, Degas Monotypes, Essay, Catalogue & Checklist, Harvard University, 1968, nos. 9 & 36, illustrated n.p. (dated circa 1877-78)
Philippe Brame & Theodore Reff, Degas et son oeuvre: A Supplement to Paul-André Lemoisne's Degas et son oeuvre, New York & London, 1984, no. 69, illustrated p. 75
Philippe Brame & Theodore Reff, Degas et son oeuvre: A Supplement to Paul-André Lemoisne's Degas et son oeuvre, New York & London, 1984, no. 69, illustrated p. 75
Condition
This work is in very good condition. Executed on cream-colored paper laid down board. The pastel is fresh and well-preserved. Sheet is slightly time-darkened. The top edge of the sheet is deckled while the left and right edges appear to have been cut. A few minor losses to the sheet at the extreme right edge as well as glue residue from a prior mounting. 4-6 pindots of foxing to the sheet, mostly outside of the image. Otherwise fine.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Rich in textural detail, the present work is the result of Degas' direct application of pastel and his use of a unique transfer process known as monotype. On a metal or glass plate Degas drew the outline of a composition in ink, then pressed a sheet of paper against the inked plate to create a mirror image. He then drew directly onto the printed image with pastels, adding color, dimension and detail in the negative spaces left on the paper.
Degas completed this picture in the mid-1870s, when his talents and powers of observation were at their most refined. Voyeurism was central to Degas' artistic objectives and to the intrigue of his compositions. In his scenes of dancers waiting in the wings, a bather emerging from her tub or, as in the present work, a café singer lit by the harsh fluorescent light so new to Paris's late night haunts, the viewer encounters Degas' models in private moments, lost in their own worlds.
Degas' experimentation with monotypes was unrivaled by his contemporaries. Pablo Picasso owned a number of Degas monotypes and he compared the power of the works to the drawings of Rembrandt.
The present work was once owned by Robert Kelso Cassatt, Mary Cassatt's beloved nephew whom she painted on several occasions when he was a child visiting her and her parents in Paris (see fig. 1). Mary Cassatt acted as an advisor to Robert's father, her brother Alexander, who amassed an important Impressionist art collection with Mary's guidance.
Degas completed this picture in the mid-1870s, when his talents and powers of observation were at their most refined. Voyeurism was central to Degas' artistic objectives and to the intrigue of his compositions. In his scenes of dancers waiting in the wings, a bather emerging from her tub or, as in the present work, a café singer lit by the harsh fluorescent light so new to Paris's late night haunts, the viewer encounters Degas' models in private moments, lost in their own worlds.
Degas' experimentation with monotypes was unrivaled by his contemporaries. Pablo Picasso owned a number of Degas monotypes and he compared the power of the works to the drawings of Rembrandt.
The present work was once owned by Robert Kelso Cassatt, Mary Cassatt's beloved nephew whom she painted on several occasions when he was a child visiting her and her parents in Paris (see fig. 1). Mary Cassatt acted as an advisor to Robert's father, her brother Alexander, who amassed an important Impressionist art collection with Mary's guidance.