Cameroon – 2026 – 1000 Francs – Young Woman with Ibis by Edgar Degas (Art Gallery series)

Description

Young Woman with Ibis by Edgar Degas — an early work where inward stillness meets staged invention. Developed
from studies made during the artist’s Roman stay in 1857–58 and reworked around 1860–62, the painting presents
a woman wrapped in deep blue, framed by two scarlet ibises and an invented eastern city beyond the balcony.
The contrast is theatrical: the figure remains absorbed and withdrawn, while the birds and distant architecture
introduce mystery, color, and dreamlike displacement. Far from the ballet scenes that would later define Degas’s
public image, this work reveals a young artist testing history, atmosphere, and psychological tension. Today, it is
preserved in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Enhanced with full-color digital printing, this 1 oz .999 fine silver coin in proof quality carries Degas’s unusual vision
into the Art Gallery collection. With only 1,000 pieces worldwide, it becomes a refined choice for collectors drawn
to the unexpected side of a master best known for dancers and modern life.