Sketches from “The Gypsies,” “The Spanish Ballet,” and “Lola de Valence” for “L’Autographe au Salon de 1865”

Sketches from “The Gypsies,” “The Spanish Ballet,” and “Lola de Valence” for “L’Autographe au Salon de 1865” is a critical preparatory drawing by the French master, Édouard Manet (1832–1883), created in 1865. This complex work is executed in brush and black ink and wash, layered over initial graphite marks, on ivory laid paper. The technique combines the immediacy of drawing with the tonal depth of wash, allowing Manet to define shadows and volumes quickly, a necessary step before transferring the design to a final print medium. Notably, the paper is pieced in the lower left, suggesting the artist made dimensional adjustments during the compositional process.

This collection of sketches served as a study for a print intended for inclusion in L’Autographe au Salon de 1865, a publication that often featured visual representations and critiques related to the annual Parisian exhibition. The composition simultaneously references three of Manet’s highly scrutinized works featuring popular Spanish subject matter: The Gypsies, The Spanish Ballet, and the celebrated portrait Lola de Valence. The depiction highlights the artist’s enduring fascination with Spanish culture and its integration into the rapidly evolving aesthetic of modern French painting during the mid-19th century. Though classified specifically as a drawing related to prints, the work offers invaluable insight into Manet’s planning stages for publication. This important study remains part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.