Portrait of Giulia Bellelli

Edgar Degas rendered this portrait of his cousin Giulia Bellelli, likely as a study for his famous family portrait "The Bellelli Family." Degas spent time with his Italian relatives in Florence during the late 1850s, creating numerous studies that would inform his breakthrough work. The Bellelli family portrait, now at the Musée d'Orsay, established his reputation.

Degas brought psychological insight to his portraits, capturing personality through pose, expression, and setting. Though later famous for dancers and racing scenes, his early work focused on family portraits and historical subjects. His training in the classical tradition gave him formidable draftsmanship that underlaid all his later innovations.

This portrait remains in a private collection. The main Bellelli Family portrait can be seen at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, while other Degas portraits are held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art.