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Edgar
Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen--wax statuette, 1879-1881,
yellow wax, hair, ribbon, linen bodice, satin shoes, muslin tutu,
wood base, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr.
and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1999.80.28
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The
Little
Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer
Meet Marie van Goethem. The daughter of a Parisian laundress and tailor,
Marie was one of the ballet "rats" at the Paris Opera. For Degas, Marie
represented the tension inherent in the life of the young dancer, displaying
both the awkwardness of youth and the graceful promise of a great ballerina.
Here, in Degas’ famous wax sculpture, she stands posed in a relaxed
fourth position, her back arched, belly forward, hands clasped tightly behind
her back.
 
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