EDGAR DEGAS | Danseuses à la barre

Estate of the artist (and sold: Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, Atelier Edgar Degas, 1ère vente, May 6-8, 1918, lot 323)
Monteux Collection, Paris
Galerie Brame & Lorenceau, Paris
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above)
Acquired after 1992

Lilian Browse, Degas Dancers, London, 1949, no. 49a, illustrated p. 355 (titled Plié à la seconde à la barre (deux danseurs) and dated circa 1880)
Paul-André Lemoisne, Degas et son oeuvre, vol. III, New York & London, 1984, no. 758, illustrated p. 431

Executed on what appears to be buff-colored Japan paper which has been laid down to a supporting card. The card has been further laid down to a board. There are artist's pinholes in the two upper corners. There is some creasing visible, most notably in the upper right quadrant, where the Japan paper has been laid down. There are some additional creases and possible minor tears to the extreme edges of the sheet. In both lower corners there is evidence of flattened creases. The sheet is lightly time struck. This work is in 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.
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.

For Degas, the classrooms of the Paris Opéra Garnier functioned as his studio and mainstage for his depictions of the ballet. His practice ran parallel with the ballerinas’ rehearsals: as they laced their slippers, he sharpened his pencils; when they would dance, Degas would draw. He practiced and followed their movements with the very same precision and diligence with which the ballerinas executed their pliés and rond de jambes at the barre. Danseuses à la barre is also emblematic of Degas’ continued interest in the Opéra’s stage and its spacious classrooms. In his drawing, Degas slants the floor plane on a diagonal and crops the ballerina by the frame while her limbs and gestures remain comfortably contained with the picture, absorbed in her craft. Without narrative, the viewer's focus is drawn directly to the dancers' movements and gestures. We thus find ourselves at the periphery of a rehearsal, watching the dancers practice from a distance. Ultimately, Degas’ oeuvre captures what Eunice Lipton has called "'the demystification of the dance,' a matter-of-fact engagement with long hours in class and rehearsal room, where youthful physiques were tuned for their fleeting roles in the footlights" (quoted in Richard Kendall, ed., Degas and the Dance (exhibition catalogue), Detroit Museum of Arts, Detroit, 2003, p. 137). For Lipton, Degas fed into the enigmatic character and charm of the ballet, blurring the boundaries between theater and reality.