Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer of Fourteen Years depicts a young dancer circa 1879-81.
One of the most iconic dance sculptures in the world will be on the auction block this February at Sotheby’s in London. Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans), was unusual for its time in the late nineteenth century when sculpture was dominated by white marble and dark bronze. In a bid to simulate real flesh, Degas created his sculpture out of modeling wax and used non-traditional elements to clothe it like a cloth skirt, satin bodice and actual ballet slippers. The hair was made of a horsehair wig purchased from Madame Cusset, a supplier of hair for puppets and dolls, and tied with a silk ribbon.
It is the only sculpture Degas exhibited in his lifetime. Unfortunately, the sculpture received mixed reviews when it was introduced at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881. Many critics called it unappealing precisely because of its realistic depiction of the young dancer. It was found in Degas’ studio upon his death in 1917 and later cast in bronze.
The sculpture's subject was 14-year old dancer Marie van Goethem of the Paris Opera Ballet. The details of her relationship with Degas are unknown, but patrons of the Paris Opera House were known to gain backstage access to the dancers and Degas’ intense interest in them is evidenced by the sheer volume of work he produced with dancers as subjects. Van Goethem was released from the Paris Opera Ballet in her late teens as a result of missing classes and no record of her life afterward has ever been discovered.
The seller is John Madejski, one of Britain’s leading arts philanthropists and chairman of the Reading Football Club, who purchased the work in 2004 for £5m.
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