Italian Woman
ca. 1856–57
Medium
Graphite and watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 8 1/4 x 4 1/8 in. (21 x 10.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002
Accession Number
2003.20.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-1850s, a young Edgar Degas, in his early twenties, created *Italian Woman*, a intimate graphite and watercolor study on laid paper measuring just 8¼ × 4⅛ inches. This early work captures the artist during his formative years in Italy, where he immersed himself in the region's art and people after leaving his Paris studio. Degas, influenced by academic masters like Ingres, his precocious talent for portraiture through swift, expressive lines and subtle watercolor washes that evoke the subject's thoughtful gaze and draped attire. The drawing's modest scale and mixed media highlight D...
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 ...