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Sheet of Studies and Sketches
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Sheet of Studies and Sketches

Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917), artist · 1858 · graphite, pen and dark brown ink, and watercolor on thick ivory wove paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Degas traveled to Florence, Italy, in July 1858, where he made this sheet of studies. The featured imagery is fragmented and dissociated, suggesting the young artist's engagement with art of the past. The refined female head drawn at center in graphite was copied from a drawing then attributed to Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery's collection. Other sketches record Degas's responses to Florentine sculpture. At upper right, he sketched an informal portrait of his cousin Giulia Bellelli, probably from life.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineSheet of Studies and Sketches, 1858. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Graphite, pen and dark brown ink, and watercolor on thick ivory wove paper; sheet: 30.4 x 23.5 cm (11 15/16 x 9 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1951.430
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