As an old man Degas reminisced to his friend Evariste de Valernes about the years he spent in Italy, from 1856-1859: "It was the most extraordinary period in my life. I wrote nothing to my family; I drew!" (J. Fèvre, Mon Oncle Degas, Geneva, 1949, p. 40). During this period Degas strove to define form through the precision of line and the opposition of light and shade, and the present drawing displays both aspects of Degas's draughtsmanship. Degas composed the figure on the left-hand side in a detailed and realistic manner. The figure studies in the right-hand side, however, are idealized and more classical in style, as if done in homage to Ingres, the great master of the preceding generation.

The bearded model in this drawing appears in another academic study, lot 97a in the Fourth Atelier Degas Sale (with which, incidently, both lots 309 and 316 of the present sale were grouped). This drawing bears the date 'Rome, 1856', and while the date itself may not be reliable (see note to lot 301), the present study was probably done around the same time.

The present work was formerly in the collection of Jeanne Fèvre, the daughter of Degas's sister Marguerite and architect Henri Fèvre. She helped care for Degas from 1916 until his death a year later and wrote a book of reminiscences (op. cit.).