The story behind the Little Dancer | Marie Van Goethem & Edgar Degas

Описание: A bit of clarification:
There are several surviving statues of Degas “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen”, but they are just bronze casts of the original wax statue. When it was first exhibited Degas had the statue dressed in a real tutu, bodice, stockings, and pointe shoes. He also put a wig on it, tying the hair back with a green bow and the wax statue also had a ribbon around its neck.

Most castings replicated the hair, bodice, and shoes in bronze, while the tutu and hair ribbon are made of real fabric. However, only the body itself was part of the original sculpture.

A bit more about Marie Van Goethem:
Marie and her two sisters were indentured to the Paris Opera Ballet by their mother, a laundress, after their father abandoned the family when Marie was ten.

To earn extra money, Marie modeled for Edgar Degas, though she was also likely being exploited by male patrons arranged by her mother.

Unlike many artists of his time, Degas did not sleep with his models, but he was still cruel in his own way, forcing them to pose for hours in uncomfortable positions.

His demanding sessions caused Marie to repeatedly be late to rehearsals, leading to her dismissal from the Paris Opera Ballet. Little is known about her life afterward.