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EDGAR DEGAS | Femme surprise
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Edgar Degas
- Femme surprise
- inscribed Degas, numbered 42/K and with the foundry mark Cire Perdue A.A. Hébrard
- bronze
- height: 41cm., 15 7/8 in.
- Conceived circa 1896-1911 and cast in bronze by the Hébrard Foundry, Paris after 1919 in an edition of 20 numbered A to T plus 2 casts inscribed HER and HER.D and 1 cast inscribed AP.
Provenance
Private Collection, Sweden (acquired in Paris in the 1950s)
Thence by descent to the present owner
Thence by descent to the present owner
Literature
John Rewald (ed.), L'Œuvre sculpté de Degas, Zurich, 1957, no. LIV, illustration of another cast pl. 64
John Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture Catalogue raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, no. LIV, illustration of another cast p. 147
Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures, Paris, 1991, no. 61, illustrations of other casts pp. 112-13 & 182
Sara Campbell, ‘Degas, The Sculpture: A Catalogue Raisonné’ in Apollo, London, August 1995, fig. 40, illustration of another cast p. 31
Joseph S. Czestochowski & Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures, Catalogue raisonné of the bronzes, Memphis, 2002, no. 42, illustration of another cast p. 202
Sara Campbell, Richard Kendall, Daphne Barbour & Shelley Sturman (eds.), Degas in the Norton Simon Museum, London, 2009, vol. II, no. 87, colour illustrations of another cast pp. 433 & 435-36
John Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture Catalogue raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, no. LIV, illustration of another cast p. 147
Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures, Paris, 1991, no. 61, illustrations of other casts pp. 112-13 & 182
Sara Campbell, ‘Degas, The Sculpture: A Catalogue Raisonné’ in Apollo, London, August 1995, fig. 40, illustration of another cast p. 31
Joseph S. Czestochowski & Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures, Catalogue raisonné of the bronzes, Memphis, 2002, no. 42, illustration of another cast p. 202
Sara Campbell, Richard Kendall, Daphne Barbour & Shelley Sturman (eds.), Degas in the Norton Simon Museum, London, 2009, vol. II, no. 87, colour illustrations of another cast pp. 433 & 435-36
Condition
Coppery brown patina. There are some minor scratches to the base. There is some dust in the crevices and this work could benefit from a light clean. This work is in overall 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The exploration of movement is a defining feature in Edgar Degas’ œuvre, and nowhere is his exceptional aptitude for rendering the human form in motion more evident than in his sculptures. The present composition features a female dancer taken unawares, the only self-conscious nude in Degas’ entire sculptural production. The bather’s modesty is emphasised by her body crouching forward and head sharply turned to the left, a sophisticated torsion which invites examination from all angles. Fresh to the market, the present work has been in the same private collection since it was bought by the family of the present owner in Paris in the 1950s.