140

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) & George W. Thornley

(1857-1935)

La Leçon de Danse.

Lithograph printed in reddish brown on Chine appliqué on greenish blue wove paper, circa 1888-89.
Signed by both Degas and Thornley in pencil, lower margin.
Image: 7 3/8 x 17 3/8 in. (18.7 x 44.1 cm.), wide margins.

  • Notes:
    Degas was likely influenced to collaborate with the lithographer Thornley by Theo Van Gogh (1857-1891), the influential director of the Boussod-Valadon Gallery in Paris, and as a result of Thornley's masterful lithographic interpretations of drawings by Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898). By 1888, Degas and Thornley were working together to produce a portfolio of 15 lithographs based on drawings by Degas. The portfolio was issued in 1889 in an edition of 100, plus an additional deluxe edition of 25 with each of the prints signed by both artists.

    The present work was not included in the published portfolio, however, Reed/Shapiro notes that Degas and Thornley likely produced other compositions as a part of their partnership. Some of these examples were deposited at the Bibliothèque Nationale by the printer Lemercier in 1889. Reed/Shapiro p. lviii.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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April 16, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
New York, NY, US

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