The Duchess di Montagne with her daughters Elena and Camille by Degas

This intimate double portrait bears witness to Edgar Degas’s attachment to representing those close to him, captured in the dignity of their daily lives. Through the work temporarily named “The Duchess di Montagne with her daughters Elena and Camille”, the painter delivers a fine and sober psychological study. This painting belongs to his realist period, combining the attentive observation learned from old masters with a freedom of composition that heralds the modernity and Impressionist approach, favoring human truth over fashionable artifice.

Two women are depicted seated side by side, plunged into a dark and cozy space. On the left, the first young woman, dressed in a dark outfit and wearing a black toque, looks calmly to the right. Beside her, the second woman sits facing forward, dressed in an austere black dress, her hands joined and placed quietly on her lap. Her serious face expresses great dignity. They are settled on a sofa or armchair in brown and ochre tones that blend into the abstract and dark grey background of the room. Lateral light illuminates their faces and the details of their outfits, highlighting the contrasts between the black of the fabrics and the clarity of the skin.

The technical mastery of oil on canvas is revealed in the management of dark nuances and the sobriety of the staging. The artist’s craftsmanship shines through his ability to render the texture of fabrics and the depth of gazes. Edgar Degas here immortalizes a timeless presence.