Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

A nude Study for the Figure of Semiramis and futher Studies for her Hand and the Head and Shoulders of an Attendant

Details

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
A nude Study for the Figure of Semiramis and futher Studies for her Hand and the Head and Shoulders of an Attendant
with the studio stamp 'Atelier Ed. Degas' (Lugt 657; lower left)
pencil on paper
14 x 9in. (35.5 x 23cm.)
Drawn circa 1860-1862

Provenance

Marcel Louis Gurin (Lugt 1872b, lower right)

Exhibited

Nottingham, Nottingham Art Gallery, Degas; Pastels and Drawings, 1969, no. 9 (illustrated pl. V)

Sale room notice

Please note that the verso of this work bears a partial study of a standing female nude.

Lot Essay

The figures on this sheet are preparatory studies for Degas' Semiramis construisant Babylone (Muse du Louvre, Paris, 1860-62, L. 82). While the standing nude is a study for the statuesque Semiramis, the mezzobusto is that of the attendant hidden by the horse pulling the chariot. Along with the compositional sketches (L. 82-86) Degas did detailed individual studies of the queen and her maidens. The extant drawings - the majority of which is now in the Cabinet des Dessins du Muse du Louvre - together with those for Scne de guerre au Moyen-Age (Muse d'Orsay, Paris, 1863-65, L. 124) are amongst the artist's finest graphic works.

"The authenticity of this drawing had been confirmed by Philippe Brame and Theodore Reff"

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