Little Dancer Aged Fourteen

modeled 1879–81, cast 1919–21

When Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen was first exhibited at the 1881 Impressionist exhibition—modeled in wax, with a real tutu and real hair—reaction was mixed. The figure’s awkward limbs and inscrutable expression seemed at odds with the traditional image of the elegant ballerina. Some critics called the sculpture “hideously ugly,” while others applauded its realism. This bronze was cast from the wax original after Degas’s death.

Medium	bronze with gauze tutu and silk ribbon, on wooden base
Dimensions	Height: 39 in. (99 cm)
Object Number	1955.45
Acquisition	Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955
Status	On View

Image Caption

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, modeled 1879–81, cast 1919–21, bronze with gauze tutu and silk ribbon, on wooden base. Clark Art Institute, 1955.45

Select Bibliography

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