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Edgar Degas (Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France). <em>Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, jambe droite en avant, première étude)</em>, modeled 1882–1895, cast 1919–1932. Bronze, 17 7/8 × 6 × 9 1/2 in., 9.5 lb. (45.4 × 15.2 × 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers, 70.176.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.176.5_SL3.jpg)
Edgar Degas (Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France). Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, jambe droite en avant, première étude), modeled 1882–1895, cast 1919–1932. Bronze, 17 7/8 × 6 × 9 1/2 in., 9.5 lb. (45.4 × 15.2 × 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers, 70.176.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.176.5_SL3.jpg)
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Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, jambe droite en avant, première étude)

European Art

This sculpture depicts a young dancer of the Paris Opéra posed in ballet’s fourth position. Edgar Degas made such small-scale studies with wax and other modeling compounds as a means to experiment in three dimensions with the movements and poses he would portray in his paintings. These were private works, not intended for display, but when his heirs found them in his studio after his death, they selected seventy-four of them to cast in bronze in limited editions.
ARTIST Edgar Degas, Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France
CAST BY A-A Hébrard et Cie
MEDIUM Bronze
  • Place Made: France
    • DATES modeled 1882–1895, cast 1919–1932
    DIMENSIONS 17 7/8 × 6 × 9 1/2 in., 9.5 lb. (45.4 × 15.2 × 24.1 cm)  (show scale)
    MARKINGS On base"CIRE/PERDUE/A.-A. HÉBRARD/41/J"
    SIGNATURE On base: "Degas"
    COLLECTIONS European Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 70.176.5
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers
    PROVENANCE Prior provenance not yet documented; before 1954, possibly acquired or exhibited by Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, NY no. 127; before 1956, acquired by Gerald Cramer of Geneva, Switzerland; December 28, 1956, purchased at Saidenberg Gallery, New York, NY by Richard and Dorothy Rogers (Mrs. Richard Rodgers); January 19, 1970, gift of Richard and Dorothy Rogers to the Brooklyn Museum.
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    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Edgar Degas (Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France). Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, jambe droite en avant, première étude), modeled 1882–1895, cast 1919–1932. Bronze, 17 7/8 × 6 × 9 1/2 in., 9.5 lb. (45.4 × 15.2 × 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers, 70.176.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.176.5_SL3.jpg)
    STATE 41J
    IMAGE overall, 70.176.5_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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    Edgar Degas (Paris, France, 1834–1917, Paris, France). <em>Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (Danseuse au repos, les mains sur les hanches, jambe droite en avant, première étude)</em>, modeled 1882–1895, cast 1919–1932. Bronze, 17 7/8 × 6 × 9 1/2 in., 9.5 lb. (45.4 × 15.2 × 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rodgers, 70.176.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.176.5_SL3.jpg)

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