Stamps with the theme Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834, the son of a wealthy citizen and banker. In adulthood he abandoned the original form of his name, De Gas, as he found it somewhat pretentious. He became famous as a painter and illustrator in the impressionist style. In his later years, as a result of his deteriorating eyesight, he concentrated more on sculpture, and gained an equally remarkable reputation.

The work "Washerwoman with toothache", owned by the Louvre in Paris, was stolen in 1973 whilst on loan to the depot museum of Le Havre in Normandy. In November 2010 the painting was discovered, after nearly 40 years, at an auction in New York. An employee of the Le Havre Museum spotted the work in a Sotheby's auction catalogue and tipped off the authorities. Consequently, Sotheby's withdrew the work from the auction. Degas painted the canvas around 1870-1872. The estimated auction value of the painting in 1973 was 248,000 to 319,000 euros.