Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen

Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

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Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen

Executed in wax 1878-1881; cast in bronze c. 1922

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) Bronze cast by the foundry Adrien Hébrard (Paris)

Degas depicted young ballet dancers--in performances, at rehearsals, or at moments of exhausted rest--in numerous paintings, drawings, pastels, and monotypes. In 1878, he added sculpture to his investigation of the theme. A young dancer named Marie van Goethem posed for what would be the only sculpture that Degas exhibited in his lifetime. Originally executed in wax and shown in 1881, the work daringly incorporated real elements such as the dancer's tulle tutu and silk hair ribbon. The sculpture was cast in bronze around 1922, several years after Degas's death.

Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

Object Details

Titles:

Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen

Date:

Executed in wax 1878-1881; cast in bronze c. 1922

Artists:

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917) Bronze cast by the foundry Adrien Hébrard (Paris)

Medium:

Bronze, tulle, and silk

Dimensions:

38 9/16 × 13 7/8 × 9 5/8 inches (98 × 35.2 × 24.5 cm)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

The Henry P. McIlhenny Collection in memory of Frances P. McIlhenny, 1986

Accession Number:

1986-26-11

Geography:

Made in Paris, France, Europe

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Gallery 252, European Art 1850-1900, second floor (Toll Gallery)

Main Building

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