Edgar Degas: Self-Portrait
1857
Medium
Etching and drypoint; third state of four
Dimensions
plate: 9 1/16 x 5 11/16 in. (23 x 14.4 cm) sheet: 13 3/4 x 10 1/8 in. (34.9 x 25.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.107.53
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Edgar Degas created this remarkable self-portrait in 1857, when he was just twenty-three years old, producing one of the rarest items in his graphic oeuvre. The etching and drypoint print represents the only self-portrait Degas made in printmaking media, despite his lifelong commitment to graphic arts. The work dates from a period when Degas frequently used himself as a model, exploring physiognomy and artistic identity before turning his attention to ballet dancers, racehorses, and Parisian caf...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 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 ...