Three Jockeys

Edgar Degas

ca. 1900 · Pastel on tracing paper, laid down on board · European Paintings

Lithe and dynamic, racehorses and their brightly attired jockeys attracted Degas throughout his career. Here, he introduced a humorous note: the animal in the left foreground extends its neck to graze (which racehorses are trained not to do) or buck its rider, while the other men turn to watch. This pastel is the last of three variations of a composition made over a period of about twelve years. Degas added the horse and jockey at the right after the picture was largely completed, obscuring a fourth rider and his mount, just visible behind them.

Artist

Edgar Degas

Date

ca. 1900

Medium

Pastel on tracing paper, laid down on board

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Partial and Promised Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Dillon, 1992