Édouard Manet, Seated, Turned to the Left

Edgar Degas|Edouard Manet

ca. 1868 · Etching; first state of two · Drawings and Prints

During the 1860s, when Degas was very active as a portraitist, he made his friend Manet the subject of a group of drawings and prints, several of which are in the Museum's collection. This etched portrait evolved from a black-chalk drawing in our collection that shows Manet seated casually on a wooden chair. With his overcoat flung open and his hat clasped in his hand, he appears to have dropped by Degas's studio for a brief visit. The print is a rarity; only three impressions from the plate (printed before Degas's tinkering ruined it) had been documented before this crisp example unexpectedly turned up at an auction in Switzerland.

Artist

Edgar Degas|Edouard Manet

Date

ca. 1868

Medium

Etching; first state of two

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Derald H. Ruttenberg Gift, and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2003