Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, la jambe gauche en avant

Details

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, la jambe gauche en avant
stamped with signature, numbered and stamped with foundry mark 'Degas 8/HER.D AA HEBRARD CIRE PERDUE' (Lugt 658; on the top of the base)
bronze with dark brown and red patina
Height: 15 in. (38 cm.)
Original wax model executed circa 1882-1895; this bronze version cast at a later date in an edition numbered A to T plus two casts reserved for the Degas heirs and the founder Hébrard marked HER.D and HER respectively

Provenance

Galerie Durand-Ruel et Cie., Paris.
Antonio Duntamarina, Argentina (acquired from the above).
M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York (acquired from the above).
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Blumenthal, New Orleans (acquired from the above, August 1976).
By descent from the above to the present owner.

Literature

J. Rewald, ed., Degas, Works in Sculpture, A Complete Catalogue, New York, 1944, p. 22, no. XXI (another cast illustrated, pl. 70).
P. Borel, Les sculptures inédites de Degas, Geneva, 1949 (another cast illustrated).
J. Rewald and L. von Matt, Degas, Sculpture, New York, 1956, p. 145, no. XXI (another cast illustrated, pls. 53-54).
F. Russoli and F. Minervino, L'opera completa di Degas, Milan, 1970, p. 141, no. S 21 (another cast illustrated).
C.W. Millard, The Sculpture of Edgar Degas, Princeton, 1979, no. 21 (original wax model illustrated).
J. Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture, Catalogue Raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, p. 80, no. XXI (another cast illustrated, p. 80; original wax model illustrated, p. 81).
A. Pingeot and F. Horvat, Degas, Sculptures, Paris, 1991, p. 162, no. 21 (another cast illustrated).
S. Campbell, "Degas, The Sculptures, A Catalogue Raisonné," Apollo, vol. CXLII, no. 402, August 1995, p. 15, no. 8 (another cast illustrated).
J.S. Czestochowski and A. Pingeot, Degas Sculptures, Catalogue Raisonné of the Bronzes, Memphis, 2002, p. 137, no. 8 (another cast illustrated in color, pp. 136-137).
S. Campbell, R. Kendall, D.S. and S.G. Barbour, Degas in the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, 2009, vol. II, pp. 290-292 and 508, no. 49 (original wax model illustrated in color, p. 290; another cast illustrated in color, p. 291).
S.G. Lindsay, D.S. Barbour and S.G. Sturman, Edgar Degas, Sculpture, Washington, D.C., 2010, pp. 152-155, no. 19 (original wax model illustrated in color, p. 153).

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Lot Essay

Among the wax sculptures which were discovered in Degas' studio after his death and which survived the transformation into bronze, the theme of the dancer at rest was one that recurred several times, demonstrating its importance to the artist. Conceived circa 1882-1895, Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, la jambe gauche en avant shows a dancer, seemingly devoid of clothing, appearing to stretch and relax in a moment of calm either before or after her vigorous exertions on the stage or in rehearsal. Her arms are bent behind her back, hands on her hips, as she arches her back slightly while pushing her torso forward. This resting pose is one which Degas would explore in his paintings and drawings as well—he was drawn to its ability to conjure an impression of informality while providing the viewer with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the private life of a ballerina.

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