Provenance

Atelier Degas

French

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A band of several galloping horses and riders move across the center of this vertical painting. The color palette is dominated by blended earthy brown, green, and pale pink. The horses, which have reddish-brown coats and tails, nearly span the width of the painting. They move to our left with their legs fully extended. Underneath the horses’ flying legs lies the body of a man. The felled rider faces upward, his eyes closed and his legs splayed. He has a light brown beard, mustache, and hair, and pale tan skin. He wears brown riding boots with black tops, white breeches, and a pink jersey with black sleeves. His riding helmet, with a matching pink cover, lies behind his head on the ground. At least three additional horses are in the band, and the two foremost have empty saddles. The two horses beyond them, farther into the picture, have male riders, who wear riding outfits and helmets in colors of smudged and blended orange, lavender purple, and green. They also have brown mustaches and beards. The band races through a field painted with a muddy green interspersed with strokes of orange and white. The horizon line is high, just above the level of the horses’ backs, about four-fifths of the way up the painting. Blue sky peeks out amid a mixture of pale pink and yellow clouds above. There are trees in the background indicated by a few strokes and dashes of paint. The painting style is loose and brushy throughout, without sharp detail or lines, except for the sketched-in black lines that delineate the bodies and tack of the horses.
Edgar Degas, Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey, 1866, reworked 1880-1881 and c. 1897, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.10

Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey

Edgar Degas · 1866, reworked 1880-1881 and c. 1897 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1999.79.10

Two groups of people face off in front of a hilly landscape in this loosely painted, vertical scene. On our left, a pale young man in a white tunic looks with eyes wide and lips parted at a group of three people on our right. The young man's right hand, on our left, is raised to stroke the head of a reddish-brown horse at his right shoulder. He stands with feet planted wide, knees bent, and he curls his left hand into a fist. Behind him, a man holds up a fluttering, light blue cape. A mottled red wall forms a backdrop to this scene on our left. The tight group gathered under a tree on our right stares back at the young man. The trio is made up of a balding, older man, a light-skinned boy also wearing a white tunic, and, closest to us, a brown-skinned woman wearing a marigold-orange shirt and a maroon-red skirt. Behind this group, a pair of pale raised arms suggests a fourth person, but the head is missing or has been painted over. The ground under the people is saffron orange. In the center of the picture, beyond the people, a group of horses stands near a green bank by a river, its surface reflecting white. The far bank is lined with white buildings. Tan and olive-green slopes rise from the opposite riverbank under a pale blue sky with cream-white clouds sweeping along the top edge of the composition. The artist signed his name in red paint in the lower right corner: “Degas.”
Edgar Degas, Alexander and Bucephalus, 1861/1862, oil on canvas, Bequest of Lore Heinemann in memory of her husband, Dr. Rudolf J. Heinemann, 1997.57.1

Alexander and Bucephalus

Edgar Degas · 1861/1862 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1997.57.1

The image shows a drawing of a person from the knees up, lying on their back with their head tilted to the side and arms resting at their sides. The person's facial features are soft, with closed eyes and a relaxed mouth, and their medium length, slightly wavy hair is visible. They are wearing a buttoned shirt with a high collar in earthy tones with hints of red and shading, depicted with a focus on capturing the folds and textures. The background is a light, solid color, emphasizing the figure's form and posture without any additional elements.
Edgar Degas, Fallen Jockey (study for "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey"), c. 1866, black chalk and pastel on brown wove paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.11

Fallen Jockey (study for "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey")

Edgar Degas · c. 1866 · black chalk and pastel on brown wove paper ·  Accession ID  1999.79.11

The image is a sketch of a person sitting on a horse. The person is in a seated position atop the horse, with their upper body leaning slightly forward and legs straddling the animal. The person's facial features are not discernible, and their hair is minimally outlined. The person's clothing is depicted with simple outlines, without specific details. There are no objects or jewelry visible on the person. The horse is detailed, with defined muscles, head, and legs. The background has no distinct scenery, indicating a blank space.
Edgar Degas, Horse and Rider, c. 1878, oiled black chalk on cream laid paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.8

Horse and Rider

Edgar Degas · c. 1878 · oiled black chalk on cream laid paper ·  Accession ID  1999.79.8

Edgar Degas, Jockey, c. 1898, washed pastel and transferred pastel, Gift of Mrs. Jane C. Carey as an addition to the Addie Burr Clark Memorial Collection, 1959.12.10

Jockey

Edgar Degas · c. 1898 · washed pastel and transferred pastel ·  Accession ID  1959.12.10

The image features two figures from the waist up, depicted in expressive sketches. The person on the left is leaning back, looking at the other figure. They have a bun hairstyle and wear a long-sleeved dress. The figure on the right has their back partially facing the viewer, also looking towards the left. They have their hair tied back and wear a dress with billowing sleeves. The background is a textured surface.
Edgar Degas, Laundress Carrying Linen, c. 1885/1895, charcoal counterproof on laid paper, The Armand Hammer Collection, 1991.217.24

Laundress Carrying Linen

Edgar Degas · c. 1885/1895 · charcoal counterproof on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1991.217.24

The image shows a drawing of two men at approximately half-body length, seated side by side and facing away from each other. The man on the left is leaning forward, with his head and shoulders turned towards his left. He has a beard, a cap, a long-sleeved shirt with rolled-up sleeves, light-colored pants, and shoes. The man on the right is sitting upright, also with a cap and a beard, and dressed in a similar style. They appear to be holding onto an object between them. The background is a simple, sketch-like surface with minimal details.
Edgar Degas, Two Studies of a Jockey, c. 1884, black chalk, charcoal, and pastel on brown laid paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.14

Two Studies of a Jockey

Edgar Degas · c. 1884 · black chalk, charcoal, and pastel on brown laid paper ·  Accession ID  1999.79.14

The image is a charcoal drawing of two profiles of a man from the shoulders up. The man is shown leaning forward slightly, with his head angled downwards. He has a beard, mustache, downward-sloping nose, and hair covered by a cap. He wears a simple shirt or jacket. The background is plain, emphasizing the man's sketches on light-colored paper.
Edgar Degas, Study of a Jockey (M. de Broutelles), c. 1884, black crayon on cream paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.13

Study of a Jockey (M. de Broutelles)

Edgar Degas · c. 1884 · black crayon on cream paper ·  Accession ID  1999.79.13

Six pink-skinned ballerinas stretch of practice in this horizontal pastel drawing. The scene is roughly sketched so some details, like the women’s faces, are indistinct. They all have brown hair and costumes with sleeveless bodices and knee-length tutus. Three dancers cluster close to us. Two at the front have tutus shaded with peacock blue and amethyst purple and dotted with spring green. The bodices of these two and the one standing behind them are copper orange. The woman to our right holds both hands to the small of her back. Another touches her hair with both hands, and the third stands with her feet apart in fourth position, toes pointing outward, and hands clasped gracefully down in front of her. The other three dancers wear pale pink bodices and tutus that match the color of their skin. Taking up the left half of the composition and moving slightly back in space, one dancer leans forward with one arm raised, and the other two bend double to brush one hand by their feet. The floor is tawny brown. The background is loosely drawn with strokes of lime green, pale pink, teal blue, and sand brown. The artist’s name appeared in the lower left corner, “Degas.”
Edgar Degas, Ballet Scene, c. 1907, pastel on greenish transparent tracing paper, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.16

Ballet Scene

Edgar Degas · c. 1907 · pastel on greenish transparent tracing paper ·  Accession ID  1963.10.16

The image shows a close-up view of a person's upper body, focusing on the head and shoulders. The person is lying down, depicted in profile with the face turned upward. The facial features include a slightly open mouth, a relaxed expression, and closed eyes. The person has short, dark hair swept back from the face, and is draped in a garment covering the shoulders. There are no visible accessories or objects near the person. The background is a plain, textured surface that complements the drawing's tone and emphasizes the subject.
Edgar Degas, Head of the Fallen Jockey (study for "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey"), c. 1866, black chalk heightened with white on brown paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1999.79.7

Head of the Fallen Jockey (study for "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey")

Edgar Degas · c. 1866 · black chalk heightened with white on brown paper ·  Accession ID  1999.79.7