The Collector of Prints
1866
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
20 7/8 x 15 3/4 in. (53 x 40 cm)
Classification
Paintings
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
29.100.44
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1866, Edgar Degas captured the quiet intensity of a print collector in this intimate oil-on-canvas portrait, *The Collector of Prints*. just 20⅞ × 15¾ inches, the modest scale draws viewers into the subject's world, where he pores over delicate etchings under soft, diffused light. Degas, then in his early thirties and transitioning from academic training toward modernity, renders the man with precise realism—sharp contours and subtle modeling influenced by his mentor Ingres—highlighting the tactile allure of prints in 19th-century Paris. This work reflects the burgeoning collector culture ...
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 ...