From Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City: At the start of his career, Degas produced some forty self-portraits in various media. This likeness dates to about 1855–56, when the young artist quit his formal training at the École des Beaux-Arts and set off for an extended sojourn in Italy. It reflects Degas's awareness of the self-portraiture of Rembrandt, Ingres, and Delacroix.
