Price by canvas size
Every The Star (L'Étoile) we paint is made to order, so the price tracks the canvas size and the amount of brushwork involved. These are the sizes our customers order most:
| Size (inches) | Size (cm) | Estimated price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 × 20 in | 40 × 50 cm | $369 | A small wall, a gallery group, an office |
| 24 × 32 in | 60 × 80 cm | $649 | Bedroom, hallway, above a console |
| 35 × 47 in | 90 × 120 cm | $1,099 | Above a sofa or bed, living room focal wall |
| 47 × 63 in | 120 × 160 cm | $1,499 | Large wall, open-plan room, hospitality |
Estimates only — the final quote depends on your exact size, frame and shipping destination. Framing and shipping are quoted separately. Duties and import taxes are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Tell us your size and frame — we reply with an exact quote, usually within the hour.
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Why the viewpoint is the painting
Everything unusual about The Star comes from the angle: the floor is a vast tilted plane, the dancer is deliberately off-centre, and the bouquet on the floor below her was thrown from somewhere we cannot see. Degas built the space with tilted lines rather than symmetric perspective, and if those angles go even slightly correct and formal, the private, stolen-moment feeling disappears.
Painted by hand, the floor keeps its tilt and the tutu keeps its glow against a stage painted in thin greys, greens and warm shadow. A print looks tidy; the painting looks like a moment you were not supposed to see.
There is a test we encourage buyers to use on any "oil painting" they are offered: run a fingernail very gently across the surface. A hand-painted canvas feels like terrain. A print feels like glass.
The painting itself
Degas had season tickets to the Paris Opéra and spent years sketching in the wings and the rehearsal rooms, which is why his ballets are never the polished spectacle the academic painters made: here the dancer's face is exhausted, her bodice a little loose, and the dark suited figure at the back edge of the picture is one of the subscribers allowed backstage. The flowers were a compliment thrown onto the boards mid-performance.
It is a vertical canvas and one of the best paintings we make for smaller rooms: a single luminous figure on a dark stage needs no wide wall, and it glows under a picture light in the evening.
How our painters reproduce it
Our studio is in Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen — the centre of hand-painted oil reproduction for more than thirty years. A The Star (L'Étoile) here is not traced, projected or transferred. The painter works freehand from a high-resolution reference, in layers:
- Composition and ground. The canvas is toned and the main forms laid out in a thin underpainting, matching the original proportions to your chosen size.
- Colour build-up. The palette is mixed in oil, not acrylic — only oil gives the same depth, slow blending and the slightly translucent glow the original depends on.
- Impasto and surface passes. The signature strokes go on last, loaded with paint, following the direction of the original's brushwork. This is the slowest and most skilful stage.
- Drying and inspection. Layered oil needs days to set properly. We let it. Then the finished canvas is checked against the reference for colour, composition and stroke character.
Where it hangs best
A dancer alone in the spotlight, painted from above and from the side of the stage — nobody else saw ballet this way. Rooms our customers choose most often:
- Bedroom or dressing room — a luminous figure in the dark is made for low light
- Living room above a console — the vertical format suits
- Music room, studio or dance space
- Hospitality — theatre foyers, boutique hotels and restaurant feature walls
Framing
Choose gold to echo the original's warmth, matte black for a contemporary room, walnut for a traditional interior, or no frame at all as a gallery-wrap canvas ready to hang. Frames are quoted separately and packed with corner protection.
How ordering works
- Tell us the painting, size and frame. WhatsApp is fastest — include a wall photo if you want sizing advice.
- Get an exact quote. Usually within the hour, with the timeline confirmed in writing.
- 70% deposit starts the painting. Paid by bank transfer, PayPal, credit card or Wise.
- We send photographs of the finished painting. You review it before anything ships. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it.
- Pay the 30% balance, then we ship. Tracked worldwide courier, rolled in a rigid tube or crated if framed.
FAQ
Is this hand-painted or printed?
100% hand-painted in oil on artist canvas by a studio painter in Dafen. No printing, no transfer, no giclée. You can feel the brushwork on the surface.
How much does it cost?
Est. $369–$1499 depending on canvas size, from 16 × 20 in up to 47 × 63 in. Frame and shipping quoted separately.
Can I order a size that is not on the list?
Yes — any size. The painter works freehand on a blank canvas, so we can also crop the composition slightly to fit your wall proportions.
How do I approve it before shipping?
We send photographs of the finished painting. You approve first, then pay the 30% balance and we ship. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it before it leaves.
How long does it take?
Most take 2–4 weeks depending on size and the studio queue. Layered oil needs proper drying time. The timeline is confirmed in writing before any deposit.
Who pays import duty?
Shipping is worldwide and tracked, typically DHL or FedEx, quoted separately. Import duties and taxes in your country are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Ready to commission a real The Star (L'Étoile)? Send the size and frame — quote back within the hour.
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