Edgar Degas
French (1834-1917)
Date:
Original model 1881; this cast 1919-1921
Medium:
Bronze with fabric
Size:
Depth: 19 13/16″
Width: 19 1/4″
Height: 38″

Visual Description:
This bronze figure of a young ballet dancer, who appears to be an adolescent girl, measures approximately three feet high, one and a half feet wide, and one and a half feet deep, including the base on which she stands. She wears a fabric tutu skirt with a hemline that reaches to just above her knees and is an off-white color. Her fitted bodice appears to be crafted in bronze and is slightly brighter than the bronze color of her arms, legs, and face. Her hair, which also appears to be crafted in bronze, is slightly darker than the bronze color of her arms, legs, and face. It is styled in a braid that reaches to just below her shoulders and is tied with a satin ribbon that is similar in color to her tutu. She is posed with her head tilted slightly upward and her arms behind her, resting on her body. There is very little bend in her elbows and her hands are clasped together. She stands in ballet’s fourth position, with legs positioned one in front of the other.

Alice Morawetz Bequest Fund BMA 1943.1