Three pale-skinned ballet dancers wearing orange and dark turquoise costumes stand together on a stage in this square composition, which is painted with gouache and drawn with pastel over a monotype print. The dancers are close together near the center of the drawing, between two scrims representing trees, bushes, and grass on the theater set. A backdrop beyond suggests bushes and a tan-colored mountain under a blue sky. Two ballerinas face away from us. The dancer to the left has long, copper-red hair, and the one to the right has long brown hair. That second dancer leans onto one pointed toe. The third dancer, also with brown hair, is closer to and faces us, but she bends forward to adjust one shoe, and her face is hidden behind the stage setting. All three have peach-colored flowers in their hair, and their costumes have knee-length tutus with alternating layers of orange and turquoise. Swag sleeves lie across the dancers' upper arms from their low-cut bodices, and all three wear pale pink ballet slippers. The scene is drawn and painted with loose, visible strokes of paint and pastel, making many details indistinct. The artist signed the lower left corner, “Degas.”
Read the visual description

Three pale-skinned ballet dancers wearing orange and dark turquoise costumes stand together on a stage in this square composition, which is painted with gouache and drawn with pastel over a monotype print. The dancers are close together near the center of the drawing, between two scrims representing trees, bushes, and grass on the theater set. A backdrop beyond suggests bushes and a tan-colored mountain under a blue sky. Two ballerinas face away from us. The dancer to the left has long, copper-red hair, and the one to the right has long brown hair. That second dancer leans onto one pointed toe. The third dancer, also with brown hair, is closer to and faces us, but she bends forward to adjust one shoe, and her face is hidden behind the stage setting. All three have peach-colored flowers in their hair, and their costumes have knee-length tutus with alternating layers of orange and turquoise. Swag sleeves lie across the dancers' upper arms from their low-cut bodices, and all three wear pale pink ballet slippers. The scene is drawn and painted with loose, visible strokes of paint and pastel, making many details indistinct. The artist signed the lower left corner, “Degas.”

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

Ballet Dancers

Edgar Degas

Date
c. 1877
Medium
pastel and gouache over monotype
Dimensions
Overall: 29.7 x 26.9 cm (11 11/16 x 10 9/16 in.) framed: 46.6 x 43.5 x 6.3 cm (18 3/8 x 17 1/8 x 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1970.17.27
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Time span
1876 to 1900
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • occupation
  • genre
  • Impressionist
  • monotype
  • Dance
  • Ballet
Provenance

(Arnold & Tripp, Paris), 1881; Heber R. Bishop, New York; (sale, New York, American Art Association, 10 January, 1906, no. 13); purchased by (Durand-Ruel, New York); sold 20 February 1906 to (Durand-Ruel, Paris); sold 1908 to M. Rosenberg, Paris;[1] (César de Hauke, New York); Capt. Edward H. Molyneux [1891-1974], Paris, by 1952; sold 1955 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce, New York; gift 1970 to NGA. [1] Provenance given in a letter dated 20 December 1977 from Charles Durand-Ruel, citing DR Paris stock number 8101 and DR New York stock number 3075.

Inscription

lower left: Degas; lower right in graphite: Degas

NGA object ID 52171. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.