After Degas’s death in 1917 over 150 clay and wax sculptures were found in his studio, many of which were cast with the permission of his family. Degas only ever publicly exhibited this one piece of his many sculptures during his lifetime and he only showed it once, at the sixth Impressionist exhibition, held in 1881. Little Dancer, Aged 14 was not particularly well received for its use of unconventional materials and rough execution which show the artist’s hand. The realism of the original piece was pushed to the next level, not in how the girl herself was portrayed, but in the inclusion a tutu, bodice, slippers, ribbon, and a horse hair wig. The subsequent versions cast in bronze posthumously feature tutus and a ribbon tying back the bronze hair.

SKU: 10319
Creator: Edgar Degas
Date: 19th century
Original Medium: polychrome bronze with muslin, satin and wood base
Location: Musée d’Orsay