Fan Mount: Dancers
1879
Medium
Watercolor and metallic paint on silk
Dimensions
7 1/2 x 22 3/4 in. (19.1 x 57.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.555
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas, a master of capturing the ephemeral grace of ballet, created *Fan Mount: Dancers in 1879 during his Impressionist period. This delicate watercolor and metallic paint on silk depicts a group of young ballerinas in fluid motion, their tutus shimmering like stage lights. Designed as a fan mount—a popular decorative accessory in 19th-century France—the artwork's elongated, horizontal format (7 /2 x 22 3/4 in.) perfectly suits the fan's shape, transforming an everyday object into a poetic tribute to dance. Degas was renowned for his backstage glimpses into the ballet world, portraying...
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 ...