DEGAS Edgar (1834-1917) Lot n° 8

Autograph poem, [The Dancer]; 1 page in-4 (22.2 x 18 cm; a little insulated, with traces of framing). Rare sonnet by the painter. [According to Paul Valéry, Degas wrote about twenty sonnets; eight were published in 1914 by Alexandre Gaspard-Michel [and the publisher Alexis Rouart]: Sonnets by Degas; this one bears number VII of the collection; composed around 1888-1890, it evokes his famous sculpture, La Petite Danseuse]. "She dances as she dies. As if around a reed, a flute where Weber's sad wind plays, the ribbon of her steps twists and knots. Her body collapses and falls in a bird's-eye gesture. [...] As always, the beautiful mystery ceases. She jumps back too much, She jumps like a frog, And I come out angry." Paul Valéry, Degas, Danse, Dessin (Paris, Gallimard, 1998, p. 147). PROVENANCE Atelier Degas; René de Gas; Odette de Gas and Roland Nepveu; Arlette Nepveu-Degas; Christie's Paris sale May 24, 2006, n° 24