Artwork
Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli
Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created circa 1865, this oil on canvas presents a domestic scene featuring Thérène Morbilli and her husband Edmondo.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Executed in 1865, the work presents the two figures as the primary subjects of Degas's exploration of family and social portraiture during his early career.
The painting depicts Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli, the artist's Italian cousins, captured in a formal portrait setting. Executed in 1865, the work presents the two figures as the primary subjects of Degas's exploration of family and social portraiture during his early career. The composition focuses on their physical likeness and presence rather than incorporating external narrative elements or complex allegorical symbolism.
The work serves as a direct representation of the Morbilli family members, reflecting the artist's interest in capturing the character of his relatives through oil on canvas.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1865, this portrait is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 117.2 cm in height and 89.7 cm in width. As a genre portrait, it depicts Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli using traditional materials of oil paint applied to a woven canvas support.
History & Provenance
Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli was painted by Edgar Degas in 1865, executed in oil on canvas. The work originally remained with the artist, Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas in Paris, who later gave it by gift to his niece, Mademoiselle Jeanne Fevre in Nice. It subsequently passed through the dealers Paul Rosenberg and Co., with locations in London, New York, and Paris, before being sold in July 1932 to the collector Chester Dale in New York.
Upon Dale's death, the painting entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. as a bequest in 1963, where it remains in the collection.
Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting entered the institution as part of the bequest of collector Chester Dale in 1963. Dale had acquired the work in July 1932 from the dealers Paul Rosenberg and Co., which had operations in London, New York, and Paris. Prior to that commercial transaction, the canvas had been given by Edgar Degas to his niece, Mlle Jeanne Fevre, in Nice.
No exhibition history beyond this provenance chain is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Created circa 1865, this oil on canvas presents a domestic scene featuring Thérène Morbilli and her husband Edmondo. The composition captures the couple in a modest interior, illuminated by a soft, warm light that accentuates the textures of their clothing and surroundings.
Context
During the mid‑1860s, Degas was developing a style that combined meticulous draftsmanship with a freer painterly surface. This piece illustrates his engagement with contemporary life, portraying ordinary subjects with a level of psychological nuance that foreshadows his later explorations of movement and space.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
- Madame René de Gas
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