Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917) Etching of Alphonse Hirsch. In Frame 7"x9.50"x.50". Weight 13 oz. Degas produced the majority of his printed works between 1875 and 1880. The portrait of Alphonse Hirsch (1875) is a study from this period and shows an increased interest in experimentation with new techniques. Hirsch was a fellow artist, etcher and agent for art collectors. This portrait was made most likely on February 20th, 1875 when Degas, Hirsch, Marcellin Desboutin and Guiseppe de Nittis met to execute portraits of each other. Degas later added the jacket and cravat with aquatint, which created contrasting textures between the soft wispy hair and beard and the dark grainy clothes. The Bell Gallery Impression is a restrike of the second state, published in 1959 by Mr. Lessing J. Rosenwald and printed by Arthur Flory for sale to members of the Print Council of America. Presented to Mr. Louis E. Stern by The Print Council of America. PROVENANCE: From the Estate of noted collector and Philanthropist Louis E. Stern (1886-1962) by descent. Art collector, attorney; New York, N.Y. Born in Balta, Russia, Stern joined his father in America ca. 1900, and earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1909. An avid patron of the arts, Stern's large collection was notable for its illustrated artists' books, prints, sculpture, ancient and primitive objects, and paintings, in particular his many works by Marc Chagall (he was Chagall's US attorney), Picasso, Braque and many more. Upon his death, his collections were given to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, his art library to Rutgers, and other additional items to the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

good, minor spots to mat