Little Dancer of Fourteen Years facts for kids

A photograph of the sculpture

The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (in French: La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans) is a famous statue made by the artist Edgar Degas in 1881. It stands about 81 inches tall, which is quite big! The statue shows a young dance student named Marie van Goethem. She was a real person who danced at the Paris Opera.

The Little Dancer Sculpture

This unique sculpture was first shown in Paris at an art show in 1881. It was part of the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition. When people saw it, they had very different opinions. Many art critics were quite surprised by the statue. Some even thought it looked "ugly."

First Showing and Reactions

Degas displayed the statue inside a glass case. This made some people think it looked like a medical display! They found the dancer's head and face unusual. Some even described them as "grotesque," meaning very strange or ugly. Despite these mixed reactions, the sculpture became very famous.

What She Wore

The Little Dancer is dressed in a real cotton skirt. She also wears a hair ribbon. For an extra touch, Degas used a wig made of real hair. He covered the wig with wax to make it look smooth. The only parts not covered in wax were the ribbon and her ballet tutu. The ribbon was actually given to Degas by Marie van Goethem herself! Today, different museums that show the statue often give it a different tutu.

How It Was Made

The original sculpture was first made from wax. Later, after Degas passed away, his wife and daughter decided to make copies of it. They chose to cast 27 copies in bronze. This process happened at a special foundry in Paris, starting in 1920. These bronze statues can now be seen in many museums around the world. The original wax model was bought by Paul Mellon in 1956. Sixty-nine other original sculptures made by Degas using wax and other materials also survived.

Images for kids

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  The original wax sculpture at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

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  Cast of "Etude du nu pour la Petite danseuse de Quatorze ans" by Degas exhibited in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Dantes Plads 7, Copenhagen, Denmark.

See also

In Spanish: La pequeña bailarina de catorce años para niños