The Dance Class (Musée d'Orsay)
1873–1876 · Oil on canvas · Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Edgar Degas (1834–1917)
- Year
- 1873–1876
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 85.5 × 75 cm
- Collection
- Musée d'Orsay, Paris
- Movement
- Impressionism
In a rehearsal room of the old Paris Opéra, the ballet master Jules Perrot leans on his long stick and watches a dancer rehearse while the rest of the class, in white tutus with coloured sashes, wait, stretch, scratch and adjust their ribbons; a watering can for the floor stands in the foreground and a poster for Rossini's Guillaume Tell hangs on the wall. Degas began the picture in 1873 for the baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure and reworked it until 1876, changing the master from a figure seen from behind to the famous old choreographer. The Metropolitan Museum has a closely related version; this one came to the state with the Caillebotte bequest of 1894 and hangs in the Musée d'Orsay. It is the defining image of the ballet class and the dancers' off-duty world.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A rehearsal room full of ballerinas in white with coloured sashes and an old master with his stick, in cream, green and a flash of red, for a bedroom, dance studio or hallway at 24×36 in natural wood. Soft green, cream or blush walls suit it; pair it with The Dance Class from the Met.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Impressionism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1873–1876)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- calm
- Rooms
- bedroom, hallway or entryway, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, anniversary, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Dance Class (La Classe de danse) in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Dance Class (La Classe de danse) painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
