Study for a Portrait of Mathilde Salle
modeled ca. 1892, cast 1920
Medium
Bronze on black marble base
Dimensions
H. w. base: 16-1/2; W. 5-9/16; D. 8 in. (41.9 x 14.1 x 20.3 cm.)
Classification
Sculpture-Bronze
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.413
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate bronze sculpture, *Study for a Portrait ofilde Salle*, captures the masterful touch of Edgar Degas, the renowned French Impressionist best known for his vibrant depictions of ballet dancers and modern life.led around 1892, during Degas's later career when his eyesight was declining, it served as a preparatory study for a larger portrait. The work was cast in bronze in 1920 by the foundry A.-A. Hébrard et Cie, Degas's death, preserving his original wax models in a durable medium perched on a sleek black marble base. Measuring about 16½ inches high, its compact scale invites close ...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas|A.-A. Hébrard et Cie · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...