Edgar Degas

M. Knoedler & Co., New York
Acquired from the above in December, 1965

Paul Gsell, "Edgar Degas, statuaire," La Renaissance de l'Art français et des industries de luxe, Paris, December 1918, illustration of the wax p. 376
Exposition des Sculptures de Degas (exhibition catalogue), Galerie A.A. Hébrard, Paris, 1921, no. 4, another cast listed
Degas, portraitiste, sculpteur (exhibition catalogue), Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, 1931, no. 4, another cast listed
Paul Vitry, Catalogue des Sculptures du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des Temps modernes, Suppléments, Paris, 1933, no. 1721
John Rewald, Degas: Works in Sculpture, New York, 1944, no. XLII, illustration of another cast pl. 97
Pierre Borel, Les sculptures inédites de Degas. Choix de cires originales, Geneva, 1949, illustration of the wax
John Rewald and Leonard von Matt, L'oeuvre sculpté de Degas, Zürich, 1957, no. XLII, illustration of another cast pl. 36
Degas, Oeuvres du Musée du Louvre. Peintures, Pastels, Dessins, Sculptures (exhibition catalogue), Orangerie des Tuileries, Paris, 1969, no. 246, listed p. 47
Franco Russoli and Fiorella Minervino, L'opera completa di Degas, Milan, 1970, no. S4, illustration of another cast p. 140
John Rewald, The Complete Sculptures of Degas (exhibition catalogue), The Lefevre Gallery, London, 1976, no. 4, illustration of another cast p. 22
Charles W. Millard, The Sculpture of Edgar Degas, Princeton, 1976, fig. 46, illustration of another cast (as dating from between 1881 and 1885)
Degas, le modèle et l'espace, (exhibition catalogue), Centre culturel du Marais, Paris, 1984-85, no. 61, fig. 186, illustrated
Degas scultore (exhibition catalogue), Palazzo Strozzi, Florence; Palazzo Forti, Verona, 1986, no. 3, illustration of another cast p. 102
Anne Pingeot, Antoinette Le Normand-Romain and Laure de Margerie, Catalogue sommaire illustré des Sculptures du Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 1986, no. 2068, illustration of another cast p. 127
Richard Kendall, Degas: Images of Women, Liverpool, 1989, fig. 30, illustration of another cast p. 55
John Rewald, Degas's Complete Sculpture, Catalogue Raisonné, San Francisco, 1990, no. XLII, illustration of another cast p. 122
Anne Pingeot and Frank Horvat, Degas Sculptures, Paris, 1991, no. 4, illustrations of another cast pp. 65 and 67
Sarah Campbell, "Degas' bronzes," Apollo, August 1995, London, no. 3, illustration of another cast p. 12
Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall, Degas and the Dance (exhibition catalogue), The Detroit Institute of Arts; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2002-03, no. 166, illustration of another cast p. 150
Joseph Czestochowski and Anne Pingeot, Degas Sculptures: Catalogue raisonné of the Bronzes, Memphis, 2002-03, illustrations of another cast pp. 126-27

Very good condition. Slight rubbing or possible small scratches on figure's right hip; some slight discoloration to patina under figure's arms. Some surface dirt in indentations (particularly around base, figure's hair and left hand.) Tiny pin-hole in corner of the base.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Degas' dancers are perhaps the most celebrated figures of his oeuvre. Throughout his career he constantly experimented with rendering the dancers in various poses, as he was fascinated with the seemingly boundless flexibility of their bodies. By and large, the medium of sculpture offered him the most possibilities for capturing the grace and beauty of these figures. For the present work, the artist has rendered the dancer posing with her left leg extended backward, almost parallel to the ground, and right arm extended forwards, counterbalancing her weight. This position, known as an arabesque, is one of the most animated poses of the ballet, and was commonly depicted in Degas' paintings, drawings and pastels. By employing a three-dimensional medium here, the artist is more fully able to convey the expressive potential of the figure's body.

Writing about this work in the recent exhibition catalogue Degas and the Dance, Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall discuss the signficance of this pose in 19th century classical dance and the three dimensional complexity that it offered the sculptor: ''In Degas' Arabesque Over Right Leg, we encounter an almost flat back [...], while the bent knee represents a further departure from the current practice of keeping the extended leg completely straight. [...] In this context, we should note that Degas' sensitively modeled, lyrical figure is represented in the nude, allowing him to give full articulation to the currently preferred pose, and incidentally, to reveal the true shape of his uncorseted model" (Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall, Degas and the Dance (exhibition catalogue), The Detroit Institute of Arts; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2002-03, p. 153).

The original wax model was executed between 1882 and 1895 and cast in an edition of twenty-two bronze examples, numbered 1 to 72 and lettered from A to T, plus several other casts labeled HER and HERD, reserved for the heirs of Degas and Hebrard. The number 3 refers to the subject number which was assigned to the work when it was included in the first exhibition of Degas sculptures at Galerie A. A. Hébrard in the summer of 1921. According to our research, the current cast appears to be one of two stamped HER which were brought from Paris to Knoedler Galleries in the 1960s, and the Knoedler archives confirm that one of these was indeed sold to Harriet Henderson. The work had remained in the collection of Mrs. Henderson ever since.

We are grateful to Joseph S. Czestochowski and Sara Campbell for their invaluable assistance with the research on this work.