The Complete Works of Philippe Smit
by Andreas Narzt and Florence Castellani
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Photo: Christopher Burke Studios, NY; © FdDPS
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Series
Series: Debussy
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PS 493 (P 4002; LNC 238)
Danse extatique (Ecstatic Dance)
1942
Oil on canvas
50 x 41 in. (127 x 104 cm)
Inscribed, signed and dated lower left: DANSE EXTATIQUE/ dans la cour des Lys/ sur le brasier ardent/ Philippe Smit/ 42; signed and inscribed on the back lower right: Philippe Smit 18 Bvd des Pyrénées/ Pau
Inventories
Inv. Berendina Hubscher, n.d. [ante 1952], s.n., private archives: no. [01] [P 4002]: p. [1], Toiles: La Danse Extatique.
Donation Berendina Hubscher, 20-06-1952, (attestation 03-09-1953), n.p., s.n. private archives: no. [P 4002]: A Mademoiselle Diene [Deana] Pitcairn: Tableaux, 3- La Danse Extatique.
Inv. Pitcairn, n.d. [c.1957], n.p., LNC archives: no. P 4002: Miss Diene [Deana] Pitcairn (donation by Mrs. Smit), The Ecstatic Danse, Oil., 50 x 41 [in.].
Provenance
Exhibitions
No known exhibitions.
Literature & Primary Sources
No known published references.
Notes
This painting represents the first act, La Cour de Lys (The Court of Lilies), of Le Martyre de saint Sébastien1 by Claude Debussy, in which the saint dances on burning embers while lilies rise from the soil. The scene is set in the cloister of Thoronet abbey.
Record last updated May 2, 2017. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "Danse extatique (Ecstatic Dance), 1942 (PS 493)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=493 (accessed on May 10, 2025).