Although Degas is mainly known as a painter, sculpting was almost as important in his life.
He began seriously to sculpt when he was in his early forties and, although he probably had no thought of exhibiting most of his sculpture, his modeling increasingly became a major part of his work.
At the time of his death his studio contained more than one-hundred and fifty wax models which he had made of dancing girls, race horses and women working or bathing.
With failing eyesight, sculpting became his principal medium of expression at the end of his career. "Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty." Edgar Degas (1834-1917).
The only sculpture exhibited by Degas in his lifetime, the wax version of the Little Dancer caused a furor when first exhibited in 1881 because of its stark realism as Degas was clearly using the sculpture to question accepted ideas of art.
A sympathetic critic observed: "The terrible truthfulness of this statuette is a source of obvious discomfort... all their notions about sculpture, about that cold, inanimate whiteness, those memorable stereotypes replicated for centuries, are demolished.
The fact is that, on first blow M. Degas has overturned the conventions of sculpture."
It is made from cultured marble and has many intricate details.
Dimensions: 13" H x 4.25" W x 4" D
Weight: 4 lbs.
# T-003B
About Our Museum Replicas
HISTORY OF ART REPRODUCTIONS
The history of art reproductions takes us back to Imperial Rome where bronze and marble reproductions of Greek masterpieces served as decoration for lavish Roman villas and gardens.
The art of casting is thousands of years old: terracottas, bronzes and ancient glass were cast from molds.
Closer to our time in the mid-18th century coinciding with the search for new artistic styles which took inspiration from the roots of classic art (neoclassicism) and the discovery of Herculaneum in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748, archaeological reproductions reappeared all over Europe.
As a result of French expeditions to Egypt during the nineteenth century, a casting facility was set up next to the Louvre Museum where many important archaeological pieces from ancient Egypt were reproduced.
Following the example of the Louvre, other leading European museums began to reproduce some of the masterpieces in their collections thus initiating a trend that continues until today.
OUR WORK
For the making of art reproductions, our company has chosen masterpieces from the best museums all over the world–The Louvre, The British Museum, The National Museum of Athens, The Egyptian Museum at Cairo, The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, etc.
Working to obtain very fine pieces, up to the last detail,we only use materials and techniques that can achieve the best quality in reproducing original works of art.
Our sculptures are cast in a variety of mediums –bonded stone, polyresins, bronze, etc.
The finish of each reproduction, always hand-made and showing craftsmanship and historical sense, is the work of an artisan.
It is the task of our company to present to the people of today the legacy of those ancient civilizations with all the beauty and mystery of our ancestors, again in front of our eyes and at the reach of our hands.
(see linked pictures above)
SCULPTING
Most of our items are original artworks created by our sculptors, carved out of clay, stone, or wood. Here, one of our sculptors carves our T-16 Degas Little Dancer using sculpting clay.
MOLD MAKING
Once the original is carved, a mold is made, usually out of silicon. Here a casting of the Egyptian Goddess Selket is taken from a silicon mold.
CASTING
Crushed stone in a liquid resin medium is poured into a silicon mold where it solidifies into a hard stone that reproduces all the detail and texture of the original.
COLOR DETAILING
All the finishes are done by hand. Many finishes include color detailing, a labor intensive process where colors are applied with small brushes by our skilled artisans.