Edgar Degas

EDGAR DEGAS (Paris, 1834 - 1917).
"Femme surprise.
Bronze sculpture with nuanced brown patina.
Numbered 42 IX/IX.
Stamp with Degas' signature on the base.
Stamp "CIRE PERDUE C. VALSUANI".
Provenance: European private collection.
Casting done under the supervision of the artist's family.
Reference Bibliography:
- Hébrard 42; Pingeot 61; Rewald 54; Czestochowski 42.
This edition includes a print run marked A through T and a print run numbered in Roman numerals I/IX through IX/IX.
A notarized copy of the certificate of authenticity from Artco France Éditeur d'Art dated 2007 will be given to the buyer.
We thank the Degas committee for their collaboration. A certificate of authenticity may be requested at the buyer's expense.
The Musée d'Orsay has a work of similar characteristics in its collection.
Measurements: 40,6 cm (height).

"Femme surprise" (Surprised woman) captures an intimate and spontaneous moment, a recurring theme in the work of Degas, who often explored the female figure in private instants, such as bathing or dressing.

The female figure is standing, but in a posture completely removed from idealized classical poses. She is visibly hunched over, with her torso leaning forward and her head down, almost hidden. Her arms are instinctively crossed in front of her lower abdomen and pubis, in a clear gesture of modesty and self-protection.

The title is fully materialized in this body language. The sculpture thus portrays a woman captured in a moment of vulnerability, as if suddenly interrupted or discovered. The tension in her shoulders and the way she folds her body in on herself convey a sense of shyness and surprise.

As is characteristic of Degas' sculpture, the surface is neither smooth nor polished. The bronze presents a rough texture (impressionistic, "sketchy", we could call it), where the marks of the original wax modeling are evident. This technique is committed to capturing the anatomical essence (rather than anatomical perfection): how the light strikes the skin, and, above all, the movement and emotion of the instant.

The darker tones of the patina sit in the folds and creases, while the more exposed surfaces capture the light differently, accentuating the drama of the pose and the texture of the surface.

Degas exhibited very few sculptures during his lifetime; the vast majority of his bronzes are posthumous casts authorized by his heirs from the original wax sculptures found in his studio after his death, as is the case with this magnificent piece we are bidding on.

The stamp "cire perdue C. Valsuani" indicates that it was cast in the prestigious Parisian foundry of Claude Valsuani, well known for working with important artists of the time. The quality of this casting and the legitimacy of its provenance make this work a unique piece within the sculptural corpus of Degas, of great interest to both private collectors and museum institutions.

In short, this is a masterful study by Degas of the human form in a non-idealized and vulnerable state. It is a piece that encapsulates the artist's interest in fleeting movement and intimacy, executed with the technical quality of one of the finest foundries of its time and authenticated as part of a controlled and limited posthumous edition.

Edgar Degas's relevance in the history of modern art is indisputable: a pioneer in the representation of the body in motion, his sculptural work anticipated many of the formal concerns of the 20th century. Although conceived as private studies, his sculptures - today present in museums such as the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum or the National Gallery of Art - are considered fundamental to understanding the transition between the academic tradition and modernity. This piece, therefore, not only embodies Degas' technical mastery, but also his essential place in the canon of modern sculpture.