Artwork
Portrait of a Woman in Gray

Portrait of a Woman in Gray is an oil painting by the Realist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Edgar Degas's 1865 oil painting, Portrait of a Woman in Gray, depicts a single female subject presented in a formal portrait format.
Edgar Degas's 1865 oil painting, Portrait of a Woman in Gray, depicts a single female subject presented in a formal portrait format. The work focuses entirely on the representation of a woman, who serves as the main subject of the composition. While the title highlights her attire, the sources identify the figure simply as a woman without specifying a particular historical identity or providing detailed iconographic analysis of symbolic elements.
The painting functions primarily as a character study within the portrait genre, capturing the sitter in gray clothing. No further information regarding specific symbolism, allegorical meaning, or deeper representational significance beyond the depiction of the female figure is available in the provided records.
Technique & Style
Portrait of a Woman in Gray is an oil painting on canvas created in 1865 by Edgar Degas. The work is classified as a painting and belongs to the portrait genre, depicting a single woman. It is executed in oil paint on a canvas support, with recorded dimensions of 91.4 cm in height by 72.4 cm in width.
The painting’s inception date is 1865, and its main subject is a woman. It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, where it is displayed.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Woman in Gray was created by Edgar Degas in 1865, according to both the cataloguing record and the Wikidata entry for the work. It is executed in oil paint on canvas and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. No information regarding a commissioning party, prior owners, intermediate collections, or acquisition circumstances is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Edgar Degas created Portrait of a Woman in Gray in 1865 using oil paint. This painting depicts an unidentified woman seated on a couch, rendered with a distinctive palette and brushwork. The artwork is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into Degas's early portraiture.
Own this work as a print
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.


















