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Spanish Dancer Wearing a Lace Mantilla
1873
Mary Cassatt
Born: Allegheny City, Pennsylvania 1844
Died: Mesnil-Theribus, France 1926
oil on canvas
25 5/8 x 19 3/4 in. (65.2 x 50.1 cm)
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Victoria Dreyfus
1967.40
Renwick Gallery
2nd Floor, Octagon Room
Mary Cassatt spent a few months in Spain in the early 1870s. She went first to Madrid, where she copied the paintings of the Spanish masters, then established a studio in Seville. She made a series of paintings of Spanish life that emphasized the beauty and dress of the local women. This piece was exhibited at the 1874 Paris Salon under the title Ida, where it attracted the attention of French impressionist Edgar Degas. On seeing the work of Cassatt for the first time, Degas commented, “C’est vrai. Voilá quelqu’un qui sent comme moi” (It is true. There is someone who feels as I do).
For more information about this work visit the Luce Foundation Center.
Keywords
Dress - accessory - fan
Dress - accessory - scarf
Dress - ethnic - Spanish dress
Ethnic - Spanish
Performing arts - dance
Portrait female - unidentified - Ida
painting
paint - oil
fabric - canvas
About Mary Cassatt
Born: Allegheny City, Pennsylvania 1844 Died: Mesnil-Theribus, France 1926
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