"The Bellelli Family"

Edgar Degas - Oil
The Bellelli Family is an oil painting on canvas by Edgar Degas, painted ca. 1858–1867. A masterwork of Degas' youth, the painting is a portrait of his aunt, her husband, and their two young daughters. Laura Bellelli's countenance is dignified and austere, her gesture connected with those of her daughters. Her husband, by contrast, appears to be separated from his family. His association with business and the outside world is implied by his position at his desk. Giovanna, the younger daughter, holds a livelier pose than that of her sister Giulia, whose restraint appears to underscore the familial tensions. The work is now in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.