The theme of this work comes from the world of the theatre. Eugénie Fiocre was a ballerina at the Paris Opera, and one of her main parts was the role of Nouredda in Saint-Léon's ballet "La Source." There is a romantic undercurrent in this painting showing a charming exoticism. The theatrical setting is not taken from the reality of the stage, as in Degas's later paintings of dancers, but appears as an element of romanticism. However, the drinking horse is a realistic detail, a real life study.
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