Head, Study for a Portrait of Mme Salle

original clay c. 1892, cast 1920/1926

Edgar Degas

Associated Names
Edgar Degas

Sculptor, French, 1834 - 1917

The sculpture depicts a rough, textured head with indistinct facial features. Its surface is dark with a glossy shine, appearing to be made of bronze or a similar metal. Viewed head-on, the sculpture presents a stylized and abstract form, with a sense of ruggedness in its execution. The features are not sharply defined, offering an impression of facial contours rather than detailed anatomy. The head sits upon a simple rectangular base that elevates it slightly, drawing attention to its form and texture against a neutral background.
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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G3

Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(A.A. Hébrard, Paris), 1920/1926; sold 12 July 1926 to (Flechtheim, Düsseldorf).[1] P.W. Nerney;[2] (sale, Sotheby's, London, 30 April 1964, no. 176); purchased by Mr. Betts, possibly of (P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., Ltd., London),[3] for Paul Mellon [1907-1999], Upperville, Virginia; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 29 June 1988, no. 118, bought in); (sale, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Cologne, 4 June 1994, no. 116, bought in); gift 1995 to NGA.
[1] Anne Pingeot, Degas: Sculptures, Paris, 1991: cat. 69.
[2] The consignor's name was kindly provided by Eva Avloniti of Sotheby's London office (e-mail of 9 April 2003 to Anne Halpern, in NGA curatorial files).
[3] Betts (no first name cited) is the name of the buyer in the published sale price list, though Mellon collection records cite Colnaghi as the buyer. It is possible that Betts served as agent for Colnaghi, as he apparently did on other occasions, though there is nothing about the transaction in the Colnaghi ledgers under either Betts or Mellon. This information about Betts was kindly provided by Timothy Warner-Johnson of Colnaghi's (e-mail of 21 October 2004 to Anne Halpern; see also copy of Mellon collection records, both in NGA curatorial files).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1974

  • Nineteenth-Century Sculpture, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1974, unnumbered checklist.

Bibliography

1991

  • Pingeot, Anne. Degas Sculptures. Paris, 1991: no. 69.

1995

  • Campbell, Sara. "A Catalogue of Degas' Bronzes." Apollo 142 (August 1995): 14, no. 7.

2002

  • Czestochowski, Joseph S., and Anne Pingeot. Degas--Sculptures. Catalogue Raisonné of the Bronzes. Memphis, 2002: 135.

2010

  • Lindsay, Suzanne Glover, Daphne S. Barbour, and Shelley G. Sturman. Edgar Degas Sculpture. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2010: no. 62, 348-349, color repro.

Inscriptions

lower left side: degas [stamped replica of artist's signature]; on back of neck: Degas 7/G; stamped in same location: CIRE PERDUE AAHEBRARD

Markings

FM: A.A. HEBRARD

Wikidata ID

Q63860809

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