Degas purchased permits that allowed him to observe rehearsals and backstage activity at the Opéra de Paris, and many of his paintings and sculptures concentrate on dancers off the stage, stretching or chatting.

Whilst the dancers in this painting are in full costume and mid-dance, a third figure, who does not seem to be part of the main action, is partially visible on the stage, at the far left of the canvas.

For many years it was assumed that Degas’ depiction of two dancers on the stage did not represent any specific performance and was meant as a general representation of ballet. However recent research has shown that the costumes of the dancers, especially the one on the right, match the bell-shaped tutus and hairpieces with roses of the dancers in the Ballet des roses, a ballet section added to Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni (1787) for performances at the Paris Opera House from 1866 onwards.  The painting was shown at the dealer Durand-Ruel’s London gallery in 1874, where it was purchased by Captain Henry Hill of Brighton.

Reproduction "Two Dancers on A Stage" is a high-quality eco-ink print on an Italian canvas, caged on a solid back to the size of 30x40 cm, and over that size the canvas is stretched on a subframe. The picture is arranged in a luxury frame.