Complete Works of Edgar Degas by Edgar Degas

Degas arrived in Florence by 4 August, living with his uncle Gennaro and making studies in the Uffizi. At the end of July 1858 Laura Bellelli wrote to Degas from Naples, inviting him to stay with her in Florence it was there that Gennaro Bellelli, who had been a political journalist supporting the fight for Italy's independence, took refuge from Austrian persecution after defeat of the Revolution of 1848. In 1857 he traveled between Naples, where he stayed with his grandfather, Hilaire Degas, and Rome. In 1856 Degas left his home in Paris to study art and visit family relations in Italy, arriving in Naples on 17 July. Giulia holds a livelier pose than that of her sister Giovanna, whose restraint appears to underscore the familial tensions. His association with business and the outside world is implied by his position at his desk. Her husband, by contrast, appears to be separated from his family.

Laura Bellelli's countenance is dignified and austere, her gesture connected with those of her daughters. The baron was an Italian patriot exiled from Naples, living in Florence. Laura, his father's sister, is depicted in a dress which symbolizes mourning for her father, who had recently died and appears in the framed portrait behind her.

Although it is not known for certain when or where Degas executed the painting, it is believed that he utilized studies done in Italy to complete the work after his return to Paris. While finishing his artistic training in Italy, Degas drew and painted his aunt Laura, her husband the baron Gennaro Bellelli (1812–1864), and their daughters Giulia and Giovanna. A masterwork of Degas' youth, the painting is a portrait of his aunt, her husband, and their two young daughters. 1858–1867, and housed in the Musée d'Orsay. The Bellelli Family, also known as Family Portrait, is an oil painting on canvas by Edgar Degas (1834–1917), painted ca.

Complete Works of Edgar Degas by Edgar Degas