How Much Is Woman Ironing Worth?

Estimate and basis. We value Edgar Degas’s Woman Ironing (c. 1876–87; oil on canvas, 81.3 × 66 cm; Lemoisne 685) at $22–38 million on a hypothetical sale today. The painting represents a central modern-life subject in Degas’s oeuvre—the laundress/ironer—executed as a finished, mid-size oil with exceptional provenance (Jean‑Baptiste Faure; James F. Sutton; Durand‑Ruel; Paul Mellon) and long institutional holding at the National Gallery of Art [1]. Recent scholarship and exhibitions underscore the importance of this motif within Degas’s practice and Impressionist-era representations of women’s work [5].

Core comparable. The strongest subject-and-medium benchmark is Degas’s Les Blanchisseuses (The Laundry Maids), sold at Christie’s London on November 30, 1987 for $13.7 million including fees. Inflation-adjusted, that comp sits around the high‑$30 millions today, establishing a credible upper anchor for top laundress oils [2]. While multi-figure laundress compositions can command a premium, the NGA canvas’s scale, finish, and quality align it with the upper echelon of this subject group.

Market ceiling and hierarchy. For context, the upper bounds of Degas demand are defined by two touchstones: the pastel Danseuse au repos at $37,042,500 (Sotheby’s New York, 2008)—the artist’s top two-dimensional result—and the bronze Petite danseuse de quatorze ans at $41,610,000 (Christie’s New York, 2022), the overall artist record [3][4]. Laundress oils are historically significant and coveted, but they sit modestly beneath Degas’s most commercially iconic dancer masterpieces. The $22–38 million range places this work between the updated laundress oil benchmark and those absolute artist peaks.

Object specifics and scarcity. The painting’s mid-size format (81.3 × 66 cm), finished surface, and authoritative documentation (Lemoisne 685; detailed NGA provenance) strengthen market confidence [1]. The laundress theme is well represented in museums—the Musée d’Orsay, the Norton Simon, and others—limiting fresh supply and supporting premium pricing when strong examples surface [5]. Historical pricing for related oils (e.g., Norton Simon’s Women Ironing, sold by Degas to Durand‑Ruel in 1902) further evidences sustained dealer interest in this subject, though those early‑20th‑century franc figures are not directly translatable to today’s market [7]. The NGA canvas’s 1895 American Art Association sale is documented, albeit without a posted price, followed by Durand‑Ruel, Wildenstein, and Paul Mellon’s gift to the NGA—provenance that signals quality and liquidity if deaccessioned [1].

Conclusion. Balancing subject significance, medium and finish, provenance, and the current hierarchy of Degas results, $22–38 million is the appropriate range for Woman Ironing. Movement within the band would depend on condition, surface quality, and recent exhibition/literature prominence. With standard sale scaffolding (marquee placement, third‑party guarantee), the painting would attract deep global bidding within this corridor [2][3][4][5].