The Jet Earring
1876–77
Medium
Monotype printed in black ink on white wove paper
Dimensions
Plate: 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 in. (8.2 x 7 cm) Sheet: 7 1/16 x 5 3/16 in. (18 x 13.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, in memory of Francis Henry Taylor, 1959
Accession Number
59.651
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where Edgar Degas's *The Jet Earring* (1876–77) captivates with its intimate scale. This tiny monotype—printed in black ink on white wove paper, measuring just 3¼ x 2¾ inches on the plate—showcases Degas's experimental side during his Impressionist years. Monotype, a unique printmaking technique where ink is painted directly on a metal plate and transferred in a single pull, allowed Degas to blend drawing's spontaneity with printing's precision, producing one-of-a-kind images rich in texture and depth. The work zooms ...
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 ...