Working within a small range of subjects, Edgar Degas used nearly transparent tracing paper to quickly replicate his compositions. Centered on a seated bather (a recurring subject for Degas beginning in the 1870s), this work constitutes the culmination of a long sequence of preceding studies, which the artist rearranged and developed through subsequent tracings. Degas set the principal structures with a charcoal underdrawing on tracing paper, adding a strip of paper on the right to enlarge and balance the composition. Drawn and redrawn, the outlines of the furniture and the contours of the woman�s body energize the picture surface. The artist returned to the works with pastel, juxtaposing the colors and scratching out the markings. He used fixative to stabilize successive layers and to preserve the buildup of textures and hues�a process that heightened the sculptural presence of the main forms. This pastel is considered one of his late masterpieces, as the flourish of lines and explosions of color reach an almost fever pitch of intensity.