Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

Details

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Danseuse avançant les Bras levés

signed, numbered and stamped on the top of the base Degas 19/C A. A. Hébrard cire perdue, bronze with dark brown and green patina
13¾in. (35cm.)cm.

Conceived in 1882-1895 and cast at a later date

Provenance

Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., London, 1955
O'Hana Gallery, London, 1963
Alex Reid & Lefèvre, London, from whom purchased by the present owner circa 1966

Literature

J. Rewald & L. von Matt, L'Oeuvre Sculpté de Degas, Zurich, 1957, no. XLVI (another cast illustrated pl. 34)
F. Russoli, L'Opera Completa di Degas, Milan, 1970, no. 536 (another example illustrated p. 142)
J. Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture, Catalogue Raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, no. XXIV (another cast illustrated p. 87)
S. Campbell, "A Catalogue of Degas' Bronzes" in Apollo, vol. CXLII, no.402, August 1995, no.19, p.20 (another cast illustrated, fig.19)

Lot Essay

"Degas' sculptures of the dance form an important though still mysterious aspect of his work. Their importance is quite evident in their great technical and visual originality, their precise integration with much of Degas' two dimensional imagery, and in the dedication which the artist brought to their execution." (R. Kendall, exh. cat., Degas, Images of Women, Tate Gallery, 1989, p. 52).

Mary Cassatt said after a long study of Degas' sculptures that they were even more expressive than his drawings and paintings: "Ses statuettes de danseuses...sont frémissantes de vie, délicieuses de naturel."

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