The Execution of Maximilian by Edouard Manet c1867
The left-hand section of the canvas showing General Mejía was probably cut off by Manet himself. After the artist's death the canvas was cut up into smaller fragments, some of which were sold separately. Edgar Degas eventually purchased all the surviving fragments and reassembled them on a single canvas. A sketch for a group of soldiers, formerly in the Gallery and now in the British Museum, was once thought to have been made in preparation for this work, but its attribution to Manet is no longer certain.
The Execution of Maximilian by Edouard Manet c1867
The left-hand section of the canvas showing General Mejía was probably cut off by Manet himself. After the artist's death the canvas was cut up into smaller fragments, some of which were sold separately. Edgar Degas eventually purchased all the surviving fragments and reassembled them on a single canvas. A sketch for a group of soldiers, formerly in the Gallery and now in the British Museum, was once thought to have been made in preparation for this work, but its attribution to Manet is no longer certain.