Woman Seated in an Armchair, Wiping Her Neck
original plastiline 1890s/c.1905, cast 1920/1952
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
copper alloy
Dimensions
overall with base: 31.6 x 27 x 30.1 cm (12 7/16 x 10 5/8 x 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1985.64.66
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas, the renowned French Impressionist painter celebrated for his depictions of ballet dancers and intimate domestic scenes, ventured into sculpture later in his career. *Woman Seated in anchair, Wiping Her* captures a private moment of a woman in a relaxed, unguarded pose—seated and absorbed in the simple act of drying her neck after bathing. Created originally in plastiline (a malleable modeling material) during the 1890s or around 1905, this copper alloy cast from 1920–1952 stands at 31.6 x 27 x 30.1 cm, embodying Degas' fascination with the female form in everyday life. Degas craf...
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 ...