id: 166674 accession number: 2008.388 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.388 updated: 2024-03-26 02:01:12.349000 Four Studies of the Head of a Young Italian Woman, 1856. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Graphite; sheet: 46 x 30.5 cm (18 1/8 x 12 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.388 title: Four Studies of the Head of a Young Italian Woman title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 1856 creation date earliest: 1856 creation date latest: 1856 current location: creditline: Bequest of Muriel Butkin copyright: --- culture: France, 19th century technique: graphite department: Drawings collection: Drawings type: Drawing find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) - artist Son of a Parisian banker, Edgar Degas enrolled in law school in 1853 following his father's wishes. But he had already shown an interest in art and had also registered to copy at the Louvre. In 1855 he entered the École des Beaux-Arts and became a student of Louis Lamothe (1822-1869), a former pupil of Ingres (q.v.). One year later Degas made the traditional journey to Italy, remaining there for three years. He visited family members in Naples and Florence and attended life classes at the Villa Medici in Rome. A visit to Normandy in 1861 may have introduced him to the racetrack. In Paris he continued to study at the Louvre, where he met Manet (q.v.) in 1862. Apart from his continuous interest in portraiture and history painting, Degas began to pay attention to subjects of modern life. Between 1865 and 1870, he exhibited at the Salon. At the time of the Franco-Prussian War, he enlisted in the artillery, but because of his poor eyesight he served (with Manet) in the infantry. After the war he traveled first to London and, in 1872-73, visited his uncle and brothers who had a cotton business in New Orleans. Degas participated in the first impressionist exhibition of 1874. He continued to exhibit with these artists until 1886 but never completely considered himself a member of the group, preferring to call himself a realist or naturalist. While many of the impressionists painted en plein air, Degas worked with models in his studio and, later in his career, from his imagination. In addition to painting, he experimented often with monotypes, engraving, pastels, sculpture, and photography. He traveled extensively-London, Naples, Spain, Morocco, and Switzerland-but continued to draw his subject matter from modern-day Paris. Other recurring themes would be the female nude and the ballet dancer. After the impressionist exhibition of 1886, Degas no longer participated in group shows. Instead he sold his works to private dealers such as Durand-Ruel and Ambroise Vollard. In the 1890s he began his own art collection, which, besides many works on paper, included paintings by such artists as Ingres, Cézanne (q.v.), Delacroix (q.v.), Gauguin (q.v.), and van Gogh (q.v.). His own art at the time became characterized by broader strokes of paint, charcoal, and pastel and the use of more vibrant colors, partly because of problems with his vision. His failing eyesight and poor health caused him to abandon his pursuit of art during the last years of his life. --- measurements: Sheet: 46 x 30.5 cm (18 1/8 x 12 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: description: gray wove paper watermarks: inscriptions: inscription: by artist, upper right, in graphite: Rita / Cacciala; by artist, upper right, in graphite: Sora; by artist, lower right, in graphite: Roma; verso, lower left, in graphite: C [underlined] translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin opening date: 2001-08-26T00:00:00 French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * {'description': 'French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels, and Watercolors. Shepherd Gallery, New York (November 1977-February 1978).', 'opening_date': '1977-11-01T00:00:00'} * {'description': "Degas e l'Italia. Villa Medici, Accademia de Francia, Rome. (December 1, 1984-Feburary 10, 1985).", 'opening_date': '1984-12-01T00:00:00'} * {'description': 'Degas. Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris (February 9-May 16, 1988); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (June 16-August 28, 1988); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (September 27, 1988-January 8, 1989).', 'opening_date': '1988-02-09T00:00:00'} --- PROVENANCE Estate of Edgar Degas [1834-1917], Paris, by descent to his brother René de Gas date: 1856-1917 footnotes: citations: René de Gas [1845-1921], Paris, by descent to his family date: by 1918-1921 footnotes: citations: Nepveu-Degas collection, Paris date: 1921-1976 footnotes: *
Collection stamp, not in Lugt, lower left, in black ink.
citations: (Hotel Drouot, Nepveu-Degas collection sale, Paris, May 6, 1976, no. 13, sold to John Couper?) date: 1976 footnotes: citations: John Couper, Paris, sold to Shepherd Gallery, New York date: Probably 1976-1977 footnotes: citations: (Shepherd Gallery, New York, sold to Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH) date: 1977 footnotes: citations: Muriel Butkin [1916-2008], Shaker Heights, OH, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1977-2008 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 2008- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Hôtel Drouot, Paris. Important Ensemble de dessins par Edgar Degas...provenant de l'atelier de l'artiste et d'une partie de la collection Nepveu-Degas. May 6, 1976. Lot 13. page number: Mentioned: no. 13 url: Rohowsky, Peter S. French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels, Watercolors: Nov. 1977-Feb. 1978. Exh. Cat. New York: Shepherd Gallery Associates, 1977. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 24 url: Villa Medici. Degas e l'Italia: Villa Medici, 1 dicembre 1984-10 febbraio 1985. Exh. Cat. Roma: F. Palombi, 1984. page number: Mentioned: cat. no. 31, p. 102, Reproduced: p. 103 url: Loyrette, Henri et al. Degas. Exh. Cat. Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1988. page number: Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 66-67, no. 8 url: Foster, Carter E., Sylvain Bellenger, and Patrick Shaw Cable. French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 38, pp. 86-87 url: Waller, Susan. "Rodin and the modèle italien." sculpture journal 27.1 (2018): 75-88. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced; pp. 78-79, fig 4 url: Waller, Susan. "Rodin and the Modele Italien." The Sculpture Journal 27, no. 1 (2018): 75-88. page number: Reproduced: p. 79, fig. 4 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2008.388/2008.388_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2008.388/2008.388_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2008.388/2008.388_full.tif