Nude Woman Drying Herself (Femme au Tub)
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Object Label
Rather than posing his models for bathing compositions, Edgar Degas simply asked them to wash themselves in a studio basin so that he could observe their natural movements. Though at this time baths were more common among sex workers than bourgeois women and this painting recalls some of the artist’s brothel subjects, it is unlikely that Degas meant to attach any particular identity to this figure.
The image is thought to be the underdrawing for an ambitious but unfinished painting, and therefore provides insight into Degas’s working process. First using brushes and cloths to establish broad outlines and tonal relationships in monochrome, he would then add color.
Caption
Edgar Degas Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France. Nude Woman Drying Herself (Femme au Tub), ca. 1884–1886. Oil on canvas, 59 3/8 x 84 1/8 in. (150.8 x 213.7 cm) frame: 67 5/8 x 93 1/8 x 4 3/8 in., 198 lb. (171.8 x 236.5 x 11.1 cm, 89.81kg). Brooklyn Museum, Carll H. de Silver Fund, 31.813. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 31.813_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Nude Woman Drying Herself (Femme au Tub)
Date
ca. 1884–1886
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
59 3/8 x 84 1/8 in. (150.8 x 213.7 cm) frame: 67 5/8 x 93 1/8 x 4 3/8 in., 198 lb. (171.8 x 236.5 x 11.1 cm, 89.81kg)
Markings
Stamped lower right: "Degas" (Lugt 658)
Credit Line
Carll H. de Silver Fund
Accession Number
31.813
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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