The Rehearsal Onstage

Of the two versions of this composition in the Museum’s collection, this one is more freely executed, indicating that it was probably made second. Several of the figures in this pastel differ from those in The Rehearsal of the Ballet Onstage (29.160.26), including the dancer seen from behind on the far left, fingering her bracelet. Both works were executed over an ink drawing on paper, an unusual practice for Degas. (Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)