Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009344Stefanina Primicile Carafa, Marchioness of Cicerale and Duchess of Montejasi
by Edgar Degas
Also known as: Portrait of the Duchess of Montejasi-Cicerale
About the Artwork
Although best remembered for his depictions of ballet dancers and race horses, Degas painted many likenesses of his family members. He probably painted this portrait of his aunt, Stefania Carafa (1819–1901), during an extended visit to Naples, where many of his relatives lived. Described in family papers as a highly indulged, fun-loving child, the duchess grew into the stoic, world-weary woman depicted here. No expensive finery reveals her high social rank; indeed she wears a mourning dress, possibly to observe the recent death of her brother Achille.
Provenance
Carafa Family, Naples, Italy Mrs. Millicent A. Rogers [1902-1953], New York, NY 1942-1951: (Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, NY, June 25, 1951, sold to Leonard C. Hanna Jr.) 1951-1958: Leonard C. Hanna Jr., [1889-1957], Cleveland, OH, bequeathed to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1958-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Style, Truth and the Portrait. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 1-November 19, 1963). Small Paintings from Famous Collections. Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH (organizer) (April 4-June 7, 1981). Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984). Degas: The Portraits. Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland (organizer) (December 2, 1994-March 3, 1995); Künsthalle Tubingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany (March 18-June 18, 1995). Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009). Napoli Ottocento. Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, Italy (organizer) (March 26-June 16, 2024).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917)
- Date
- c. 1875
- Medium
- oil on fabric
- Dimensions
- Framed: 67.6 x 58.4 x 6 cm (26 5/8 x 23 x 2 3/8 in.); Unframed: 49 x 39.4 cm (19 5/16 x 15 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.
- Accession no.
- 1958.28
More by Edgar Degas in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009344
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