Gregory Hedberg
The Degas Plasters Groundbreaking revelations about Degas’ sculpture and the Hébrard bronzes
arnoldsche
Gregory Hedberg
The Degas Plasters Groundbreaking revelations about Degas’ sculpture and the Hébrard bronzes
arnoldsche
Imprint
Contents
© 2023 Gregory Hedberg, Melinda and Paul Sullivan, and arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart
7 Acknowledgements 11 About the Author
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems) without written Permission from the copyright holders. www.arnoldsche.com
13 INTRODUCTION
Author Gregory Hedberg, Ph.D. Copy editing Jessica Buskirk, Stuttgart Graphic designer Silke Nalbach, nalbach typografik, Mannheim arnoldsche project coordination Julia Hohrein Offset reproductions Schwabenrepro, Fellbach Printed by GPS Group Paper Gardamatt Art 150 g/sm Cover illustrations Front: Edgar Degas, Horse Galloping on Right Foot, Back Left only Touching the Ground (and Jockey for Horse Galloping), Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Photo: Joe Coscia, Jr. (see plate 25) Back (from left to right): Edgar Degas, Dancer, Fourth Position Front, on Left Leg (see plate 58); Spanish Dance (see plate 20); Dancer with Tambourine (see plate 12), Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Photos: Joe Coscia, Jr. Illustration on page 2 Edgar Degas, Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot, Gift of the Paris based, M. T. Abraham Foundation. Photo: Joe Coscia, Jr. (see plate 67)
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available at www.dnb.de. ISBN 978-3-89790-673-0 Made in Germany, 2023
53 CHAPTER I A New Look at Degas’ Sculpture 103 CHAPTER II
Dividing the 74 Degas Plasters into five Dating Groups 173 CHAPTER III
An In-Depth Study of The Tub Plaster: A record of an earlier state of one of Degas’ most important sculptures 199 CHAPTER IV
The Truth about the Hébrard Degas Bronzes 237 PLATES
All the Degas Plasters 386 Bibliography 391 Photo Credits
FOUR APPENDICES (accessible via the QR code on page 392) Appendix A: Preliminary catalogue raisonné of all seventy-five of the Degas plasters found at the Valsuani Foundry in Paris Appendix B: Documentation of the later casting of Hébrard Degas bronzes at the Valsuani Foundry in Paris and Palazzolo’s bringing the Degas plasters to the Valsuani foundry in the mid-1950s Appendix C: Answers to scholars’ questions regarding the authenticity and dating of the Degas plasters Appendix D: Measurements and visual comparisons for the Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen plaster This Appendix D was previously published in Gregory Hedberg, Degas’ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, The earlier version that helped spark the birth of modern art, arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2016 as Appendix C.
Imprint
Contents
© 2023 Gregory Hedberg, Melinda and Paul Sullivan, and arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart
7 Acknowledgements 11 About the Author
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems) without written Permission from the copyright holders. www.arnoldsche.com
13 INTRODUCTION
Author Gregory Hedberg, Ph.D. Copy editing Jessica Buskirk, Stuttgart Graphic designer Silke Nalbach, nalbach typografik, Mannheim arnoldsche project coordination Julia Hohrein Offset reproductions Schwabenrepro, Fellbach Printed by GPS Group Paper Gardamatt Art 150 g/sm Cover illustrations Front: Edgar Degas, Horse Galloping on Right Foot, Back Left only Touching the Ground (and Jockey for Horse Galloping), Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Photo: Joe Coscia, Jr. (see plate 25) Back (from left to right): Edgar Degas, Dancer, Fourth Position Front, on Left Leg (see plate 58); Spanish Dance (see plate 20); Dancer with Tambourine (see plate 12), Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Photos: Joe Coscia, Jr. Illustration on page 2 Edgar Degas, Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot, Gift of the Paris based, M. T. Abraham Foundation. Photo: Joe Coscia, Jr. (see plate 67)
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available at www.dnb.de. ISBN 978-3-89790-673-0 Made in Germany, 2023
53 CHAPTER I A New Look at Degas’ Sculpture 103 CHAPTER II
Dividing the 74 Degas Plasters into five Dating Groups 173 CHAPTER III
An In-Depth Study of The Tub Plaster: A record of an earlier state of one of Degas’ most important sculptures 199 CHAPTER IV
The Truth about the Hébrard Degas Bronzes 237 PLATES
All the Degas Plasters 386 Bibliography 391 Photo Credits
FOUR APPENDICES (accessible via the QR code on page 392) Appendix A: Preliminary catalogue raisonné of all seventy-five of the Degas plasters found at the Valsuani Foundry in Paris Appendix B: Documentation of the later casting of Hébrard Degas bronzes at the Valsuani Foundry in Paris and Palazzolo’s bringing the Degas plasters to the Valsuani foundry in the mid-1950s Appendix C: Answers to scholars’ questions regarding the authenticity and dating of the Degas plasters Appendix D: Measurements and visual comparisons for the Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen plaster This Appendix D was previously published in Gregory Hedberg, Degas’ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, The earlier version that helped spark the birth of modern art, arnoldsche Art Publishers, 2016 as Appendix C.
chapter II Dividing the 74 Degas Plasters into five Dating Groups
chapter II Dividing the 74 Degas Plasters into five Dating Groups
115
116
24.5 cm 25.7 cm
37.3 cm 38.3 cm
25.8 cm 26.7 cm
10.9 cm 11 cm
23 cm 24 cm
29.1 cm 30.2 cm
Figure 118: Edgar Degas, Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée), plaster, Private Collection.
117
Figure 115: Edgar Degas, Horse Standing, bronze, height 11 3 ⁄8 in. (28.9 cm), cast 1920, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (29.100.425). Figure 116: Horse Standing, photograph by Gauthier, 1918, Musée d’Orsay, Paris (PHO1992-9-56). Figure 117: Edgar Degas, Horse Standing, measurements of the modèle bronze in black, the Degas plaster in red.
106
118
today. The Gauthier photograph also records numerous surface details, such as the pronounced brachiocephalicus muscle on the horse’s neck and the area of the brachial triceps muscles below – anatomical details found on both the Hébrard bronzes (fig. 115) and the plaster (fig. 114). In the X-radiograph of the original wax,11 one can see evidence of the internal wire armature coming out on the back of the horse’s right rear leg hock, evident also in the Gauthier photograph (see arrow, fig. 116). This minor protrusion is also found on both the Degas plaster (see arrow, fig. 114) and the Hébrard modèle bronze. As is characteristic of most of the
Degas plasters, this plaster records a much thicker base than found on the Hébrard bronzes of this model (fig. 115). Typically, the Gauthier photographs of the waxes and the original waxes today also exhibit more substantial bases than found on the Hébrard bronzes. Palazzolo likely simplified or reduced the size of Degas’ bases to save on the bronze material. The incised sides on the top of the base on Horse Standing are found only on the plaster and most likely indicate a simple change by the mold-maker.12 While the plaster is in all probability a lifetime cast, at this juncture, given the plaster does not exhibit any artistic or condition changes, one can only positively determine that this plaster must have been cast before 1955, when Degas’ original waxes left France.13
Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée) Another plaster in Group I is Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée) (fig. 118). Like other plasters in this group, Degas’ original wax sculpture of this model, now in the National Gallery, Washington, D.C., survived in good condition.14 The 1918 Gauthier photograph of the wax (fig. 119) shows the figure’s head, right arm, and left leg supported by three exterior armatures. The only damage apparent in the photograph is a crack in the proper left leg, a crack not recorded in either the modèle bronze, the Degas plaster, or the wax today. An X-radiograph of Degas’ original wax (fig. 120) indicates the figure had a fairly substantial internal armature. Degas’ wax figure did not undergo any significant posthumous repairs or reworkings, aside from the minor repair to the left leg, the removal of Degas’ original external wire armatures, and the insertion of a new iron armature long after Degas died – as seen in the X-radiograph, which records a new thick metal rod aside the figure’s right leg (see arrow, fig. 120).15
107
115
116
24.5 cm 25.7 cm
37.3 cm 38.3 cm
25.8 cm 26.7 cm
10.9 cm 11 cm
23 cm 24 cm
29.1 cm 30.2 cm
Figure 118: Edgar Degas, Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée), plaster, Private Collection.
117
Figure 115: Edgar Degas, Horse Standing, bronze, height 11 3 ⁄8 in. (28.9 cm), cast 1920, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (29.100.425). Figure 116: Horse Standing, photograph by Gauthier, 1918, Musée d’Orsay, Paris (PHO1992-9-56). Figure 117: Edgar Degas, Horse Standing, measurements of the modèle bronze in black, the Degas plaster in red.
106
118
today. The Gauthier photograph also records numerous surface details, such as the pronounced brachiocephalicus muscle on the horse’s neck and the area of the brachial triceps muscles below – anatomical details found on both the Hébrard bronzes (fig. 115) and the plaster (fig. 114). In the X-radiograph of the original wax,11 one can see evidence of the internal wire armature coming out on the back of the horse’s right rear leg hock, evident also in the Gauthier photograph (see arrow, fig. 116). This minor protrusion is also found on both the Degas plaster (see arrow, fig. 114) and the Hébrard modèle bronze. As is characteristic of most of the
Degas plasters, this plaster records a much thicker base than found on the Hébrard bronzes of this model (fig. 115). Typically, the Gauthier photographs of the waxes and the original waxes today also exhibit more substantial bases than found on the Hébrard bronzes. Palazzolo likely simplified or reduced the size of Degas’ bases to save on the bronze material. The incised sides on the top of the base on Horse Standing are found only on the plaster and most likely indicate a simple change by the mold-maker.12 While the plaster is in all probability a lifetime cast, at this juncture, given the plaster does not exhibit any artistic or condition changes, one can only positively determine that this plaster must have been cast before 1955, when Degas’ original waxes left France.13
Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée) Another plaster in Group I is Arabesque over the Right Leg, Right Hand near the Ground, Left Arm Outstretched (First arabesque, penchée) (fig. 118). Like other plasters in this group, Degas’ original wax sculpture of this model, now in the National Gallery, Washington, D.C., survived in good condition.14 The 1918 Gauthier photograph of the wax (fig. 119) shows the figure’s head, right arm, and left leg supported by three exterior armatures. The only damage apparent in the photograph is a crack in the proper left leg, a crack not recorded in either the modèle bronze, the Degas plaster, or the wax today. An X-radiograph of Degas’ original wax (fig. 120) indicates the figure had a fairly substantial internal armature. Degas’ wax figure did not undergo any significant posthumous repairs or reworkings, aside from the minor repair to the left leg, the removal of Degas’ original external wire armatures, and the insertion of a new iron armature long after Degas died – as seen in the X-radiograph, which records a new thick metal rod aside the figure’s right leg (see arrow, fig. 120).15
107
CHAPTER 2
Figure 150: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, plaster, Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Figure 151: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, detail of the masseuse’s back (figs. 148, 150).
Figure 148: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, plaster, Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Figure 149: The Masseuse, photograph by Gauthier, 1918, Musée d’Orsay, Paris (PHO1992-9-13).
148
As early as 1919, Lemoisne reported that Degas reworked some of his horse sculptures.92 In addition, as noted in the Introduction, Pauline, a model Degas used late in life, recalled that “many months, sometimes a year, would go by before he would wish to continue working on one or the other of these [Degas’] figures.”93 Degas’ almost compulsive tendency to rework his art may explain why he preferred to sculpt in wax. Degas scholar Gary Tinterow writes that, along with the medium’s rich color, “what Degas seems to have valued most about his waxes was their mutability.”94 Indeed, there is now a growing body of documentary and physical evidence that has allowed scholars to conclude Degas reworked a number of his wax sculptures.95 Even some of his most important models including The Tub,96 Woman Rubbing Her Back with a Sponge, Torso,97 and the Nude Little Dancer 98 are known to have been reworked by Degas. Because the Degas plasters of these sculptures (plates 26, 28, and 56) were cast before the artist reworked his original wax, the plasters of these models confirm there was an earlier state. As discussed in the Introduction, Degas enlarged the base under the wax Dancer Holding Her Right Foot in Her Right Hand at some point after the plaster was cast (see Introduction, figs. 42–45). In addition, there are ten other plasters that, like the one cast from Degas’ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, provide examples of an earlier, heretofore unknown state of a particular Degas sculpture.
124
Figure 152: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, detail of the masseuse’s back, serialized Hébrard bronze, “A” cast, 17 × 16 3 ⁄ 8 × 14 in. (43.2 × 41.6 × 35.6 cm), cast 1920, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Ms. H.O. Havemeyer, The Metropolitan Museum, New York (29.100.371),
150
151
The Masseuse 149
Measurement comparisons indicate The Masseuse plaster (fig. 148) is consistently slightly larger than the corresponding Degas bronzes cast as Hébrard no. 55 (fig. 153), and some distinctive forms are nearly identical.99 However, there are two clear differences when one compares the Degas plaster to the wax and bronze counterparts. The first reflects an aesthetic change, the second a condition change.
152
The sides of the chaise on The Masseuse plaster (see right arrow, fig. 148) reveal an aesthetic change. When conser vator Richard Stone studied the plaster, he observed that it records a chaise with apparently flat wooden or cork sides.100 In contrast, the corresponding area seen in the 1918 Gauthier photograph of The Masseuse (see right arrow, fig. 149), along with the sides of the chaise in the Hébrard bronzes (fig. 153)101 and the wax in its current state,102 are rounded.
125
CHAPTER 2
Figure 150: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, plaster, Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Figure 151: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, detail of the masseuse’s back (figs. 148, 150).
Figure 148: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, plaster, Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan. Figure 149: The Masseuse, photograph by Gauthier, 1918, Musée d’Orsay, Paris (PHO1992-9-13).
148
As early as 1919, Lemoisne reported that Degas reworked some of his horse sculptures.92 In addition, as noted in the Introduction, Pauline, a model Degas used late in life, recalled that “many months, sometimes a year, would go by before he would wish to continue working on one or the other of these [Degas’] figures.”93 Degas’ almost compulsive tendency to rework his art may explain why he preferred to sculpt in wax. Degas scholar Gary Tinterow writes that, along with the medium’s rich color, “what Degas seems to have valued most about his waxes was their mutability.”94 Indeed, there is now a growing body of documentary and physical evidence that has allowed scholars to conclude Degas reworked a number of his wax sculptures.95 Even some of his most important models including The Tub,96 Woman Rubbing Her Back with a Sponge, Torso,97 and the Nude Little Dancer 98 are known to have been reworked by Degas. Because the Degas plasters of these sculptures (plates 26, 28, and 56) were cast before the artist reworked his original wax, the plasters of these models confirm there was an earlier state. As discussed in the Introduction, Degas enlarged the base under the wax Dancer Holding Her Right Foot in Her Right Hand at some point after the plaster was cast (see Introduction, figs. 42–45). In addition, there are ten other plasters that, like the one cast from Degas’ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, provide examples of an earlier, heretofore unknown state of a particular Degas sculpture.
124
Figure 152: Edgar Degas, The Masseuse, detail of the masseuse’s back, serialized Hébrard bronze, “A” cast, 17 × 16 3 ⁄ 8 × 14 in. (43.2 × 41.6 × 35.6 cm), cast 1920, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Ms. H.O. Havemeyer, The Metropolitan Museum, New York (29.100.371),
150
151
The Masseuse 149
Measurement comparisons indicate The Masseuse plaster (fig. 148) is consistently slightly larger than the corresponding Degas bronzes cast as Hébrard no. 55 (fig. 153), and some distinctive forms are nearly identical.99 However, there are two clear differences when one compares the Degas plaster to the wax and bronze counterparts. The first reflects an aesthetic change, the second a condition change.
152
The sides of the chaise on The Masseuse plaster (see right arrow, fig. 148) reveal an aesthetic change. When conser vator Richard Stone studied the plaster, he observed that it records a chaise with apparently flat wooden or cork sides.100 In contrast, the corresponding area seen in the 1918 Gauthier photograph of The Masseuse (see right arrow, fig. 149), along with the sides of the chaise in the Hébrard bronzes (fig. 153)101 and the wax in its current state,102 are rounded.
125
CHAPTER 2 9) Dancer Fastening the String of Her Tights (plate 33). In this case, after the plaster was cast, Degas reworked some forms, particularly the figure’s right breast and areas of the head. The Degas plaster records the correct anatomical position of the figure’s left foot. The Gauthier photograph of this plaster records that the figure’s left leg was damaged.227 10) Picking Apples (plate 37). Degas did some additional tooling on this sculpture, particularly in the upper left corner of this relief after the plaster was cast.228 11) Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (plate 40). After the plaster was cast, Degas appears to have reworked or retooled the figure’s hair.229 12) Woman Taken Unawares (plate 42). After this plaster was cast, Degas turned the figure’s head sharply to the left, creating a gap between the head and the shoulders. This gap is found on the wax today and the modèle bronze of this figure but not on the Degas plaster.230 13) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Left Armpit (plate 43). Degas slightly reworked the sides of the base of his wax and the figure’s feet after the plaster was cast.231 14) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Neck (plate 44). After the plaster was cast, Degas enlarged the figure’s chair and towel by adding more plastiline.232 15) Seated Woman Wiping Her Left Side (plate 46). Degas added some material to the form on the back of his figure after the plaster was cast.233 16) Horse Galloping on Right Foot (plate 47). After the plaster was cast, Degas removed some wax from the central part of the horse’s torso making the horse appear more svelte.234 17) Horse Balking or Horse Clearing an Obstacle (plate 48). Again, after the plaster was cast, Degas reduced the size of the horse’s torso.235 18) Horse Trotting, Feet Not Touching the Ground (plate 49). After the plaster was cast, Degas opened the horse’s mouth.236 19) Dressed Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (plate 51). At some later point Degas reworked parts of the figure’s dress after the plaster was cast.237 20) Thoroughbred Horse Walking (plate 66). Degas reworked the side of the horse’s head slightly after the plaster was cast.238 21) Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (plate 69). After the plaster was cast from the lost clay of this model,239 Degas eliminated some tooling recorded by the plaster.240 22) And finally, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment (fig. 214, and plate 71). After the plaster was cast, Degas apparently reworked the figure’s back slightly using a metal tool to delineate the spine.241
Figure 214: Edgar Degas, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment, plaster, the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Gift of the Paris based, M.T. Abraham Foundation.
The plasters in Group IV show how the later modifications Degas made to his sculpture models are analogous to his etching and printmaking process. When Degas executed a print, he frequently reworked the plate several times.242 The plasters can be compared to an early state of one of Degas’ prints, their corresponding modèle bronzes as a later state, with the waxes as the final surviving state of the original sculptures. Like Degas’ prints and paintings, the plasters show how Degas typically did not start afresh when he had another idea for a work of art. Instead, he reworked an existing model.243 The fact that so many of the plasters record an earlier state may be one of the reasons they were not chosen for the posthumous casting by Hébrard. However, it should be noted that aside from Nude Little Dancer and The Tub, as well as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen discussed in an earlier publication,244 Degas’ alterations to his original wax after a plaster casting are usually minor. It thus appears that Degas was largely satisfied with a figure once he allowed it to be cast in plaster. The mold-making process that produced the Degas plaster, as well as handling during the process, may have altered a surface detail, which Degas felt needed fixing. As a restless artist, Degas may have also made creative changes to the waxes after not seeing them for some time.
Degas’ Appreciation of the Unfinished as Verified by Some of the Lifetime Plasters in Group IV Chapter I presented a variety of physical and documentary evidence of Degas’ appreciation of the incomplete or unfinished quality of some of his paintings and sculptures. Several of the apparently incomplete lifetime plasters in Group IV provide further evidence to support this thesis. We can assume that the perfectionist Degas would not allow mold-making for a plaster to occur on a wax or clay model if he considered the figure to be unsatisfactory. He apparently destroyed a number of wax and clay figures that he found unacceptable. Degas’ model Pauline, the artist’s niece Jeanne Fevre, and the historian Paul-André Lemoisne all reported that Degas would sometimes sculpt a figure only to later destroy it.245 If Degas allowed a plaster to be cast of a particular figure, one can assume he approved, at least tacitly, of the figure’s state. Degas’ sculpture, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment, is an armless figure with truncated legs, which was not photographed by Gauthier in 1918 and which has not survived in wax form.246 After the Degas plaster was cast (fig. 214), Degas apparently reworked the figure’s back slightly using a metal tool; hence, here the plaster is categorized as a lifetime cast in Group IV. Again, assuming Degas would not allow for a plaster to be cast of a model of which he disapproved, this plaster indicates that Degas apparently considered the fragmented state of this figure – an armless nude with no feet – to be artistically interesting and satisfactory “as is.” Bartholomé also must have saved this figure in 1918. In turn, the Hébrard bronzes of this incomplete figure (Chapter I, fig. 52), thus
214
157
CHAPTER 2 9) Dancer Fastening the String of Her Tights (plate 33). In this case, after the plaster was cast, Degas reworked some forms, particularly the figure’s right breast and areas of the head. The Degas plaster records the correct anatomical position of the figure’s left foot. The Gauthier photograph of this plaster records that the figure’s left leg was damaged.227 10) Picking Apples (plate 37). Degas did some additional tooling on this sculpture, particularly in the upper left corner of this relief after the plaster was cast.228 11) Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (plate 40). After the plaster was cast, Degas appears to have reworked or retooled the figure’s hair.229 12) Woman Taken Unawares (plate 42). After this plaster was cast, Degas turned the figure’s head sharply to the left, creating a gap between the head and the shoulders. This gap is found on the wax today and the modèle bronze of this figure but not on the Degas plaster.230 13) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Left Armpit (plate 43). Degas slightly reworked the sides of the base of his wax and the figure’s feet after the plaster was cast.231 14) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Neck (plate 44). After the plaster was cast, Degas enlarged the figure’s chair and towel by adding more plastiline.232 15) Seated Woman Wiping Her Left Side (plate 46). Degas added some material to the form on the back of his figure after the plaster was cast.233 16) Horse Galloping on Right Foot (plate 47). After the plaster was cast, Degas removed some wax from the central part of the horse’s torso making the horse appear more svelte.234 17) Horse Balking or Horse Clearing an Obstacle (plate 48). Again, after the plaster was cast, Degas reduced the size of the horse’s torso.235 18) Horse Trotting, Feet Not Touching the Ground (plate 49). After the plaster was cast, Degas opened the horse’s mouth.236 19) Dressed Dancer at Rest, Hands Behind Her Back, Right Leg Forward (plate 51). At some later point Degas reworked parts of the figure’s dress after the plaster was cast.237 20) Thoroughbred Horse Walking (plate 66). Degas reworked the side of the horse’s head slightly after the plaster was cast.238 21) Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot (plate 69). After the plaster was cast from the lost clay of this model,239 Degas eliminated some tooling recorded by the plaster.240 22) And finally, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment (fig. 214, and plate 71). After the plaster was cast, Degas apparently reworked the figure’s back slightly using a metal tool to delineate the spine.241
Figure 214: Edgar Degas, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment, plaster, the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Gift of the Paris based, M.T. Abraham Foundation.
The plasters in Group IV show how the later modifications Degas made to his sculpture models are analogous to his etching and printmaking process. When Degas executed a print, he frequently reworked the plate several times.242 The plasters can be compared to an early state of one of Degas’ prints, their corresponding modèle bronzes as a later state, with the waxes as the final surviving state of the original sculptures. Like Degas’ prints and paintings, the plasters show how Degas typically did not start afresh when he had another idea for a work of art. Instead, he reworked an existing model.243 The fact that so many of the plasters record an earlier state may be one of the reasons they were not chosen for the posthumous casting by Hébrard. However, it should be noted that aside from Nude Little Dancer and The Tub, as well as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen discussed in an earlier publication,244 Degas’ alterations to his original wax after a plaster casting are usually minor. It thus appears that Degas was largely satisfied with a figure once he allowed it to be cast in plaster. The mold-making process that produced the Degas plaster, as well as handling during the process, may have altered a surface detail, which Degas felt needed fixing. As a restless artist, Degas may have also made creative changes to the waxes after not seeing them for some time.
Degas’ Appreciation of the Unfinished as Verified by Some of the Lifetime Plasters in Group IV Chapter I presented a variety of physical and documentary evidence of Degas’ appreciation of the incomplete or unfinished quality of some of his paintings and sculptures. Several of the apparently incomplete lifetime plasters in Group IV provide further evidence to support this thesis. We can assume that the perfectionist Degas would not allow mold-making for a plaster to occur on a wax or clay model if he considered the figure to be unsatisfactory. He apparently destroyed a number of wax and clay figures that he found unacceptable. Degas’ model Pauline, the artist’s niece Jeanne Fevre, and the historian Paul-André Lemoisne all reported that Degas would sometimes sculpt a figure only to later destroy it.245 If Degas allowed a plaster to be cast of a particular figure, one can assume he approved, at least tacitly, of the figure’s state. Degas’ sculpture, Woman Getting out of the Bath, fragment, is an armless figure with truncated legs, which was not photographed by Gauthier in 1918 and which has not survived in wax form.246 After the Degas plaster was cast (fig. 214), Degas apparently reworked the figure’s back slightly using a metal tool; hence, here the plaster is categorized as a lifetime cast in Group IV. Again, assuming Degas would not allow for a plaster to be cast of a model of which he disapproved, this plaster indicates that Degas apparently considered the fragmented state of this figure – an armless nude with no feet – to be artistically interesting and satisfactory “as is.” Bartholomé also must have saved this figure in 1918. In turn, the Hébrard bronzes of this incomplete figure (Chapter I, fig. 52), thus
214
157
Plates
Plates
PLATES
PLATES
PLATES
PL ATE 10 (two views) Horse Walking Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
258
PL ATE 11 (two views) Horse Walking Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
259
PLATES
PL ATE 10 (two views) Horse Walking Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
258
PL ATE 11 (two views) Horse Walking Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
259
PLATES
PL ATE 28 (two views) Woman Rubbing Her Back with a Sponge, Torso Plaster Private Collection
294
295
PLATES
PL ATE 28 (two views) Woman Rubbing Her Back with a Sponge, Torso Plaster Private Collection
294
295
PLATES
PL ATE 43 (three views) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Left Armpit Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
323
PLATES
PL ATE 43 (three views) Woman Seated in an Armchair Wiping Her Left Armpit Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
323
PLATES
PL ATE 74 (two views) Schoolgirl Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
384
385
PLATES
PL ATE 74 (two views) Schoolgirl Plaster Collection of Melinda and Paul Sullivan
384
385
Hedberg
“Great works of art, long given up for lost, have the most amazing way of coming to light. Is the life of a true masterpiece protected by a charm? One might be tempted to believe so after the extraordinary reappearance of seventy-two wax sculptures by Degas, which have stood quite forgotten and sealed up in the cellars of the famous bronze caster Hébrard.” JEAN ADHÉMAR
French curator Jean Adhémar published these admiring words in ARTNews when the long-heralded original wax sculptures by Edgar Degas were revealed to the public for the first time in 1955. They could just as easily apply to the seventy-four Degas plasters unearthed at the Valsuani foundry in France in 2004. These plasters are now being published for the first time, presenting new documentary and physical evidence regarding their dating following an in-depth analysis into the condition of Degas’ waxes at the time of his death.
DEGAS’ LITTLE DANCER, AGED FOURTEEN The earlier version that helped spark the birth of modern art ISBN 978-3-89790-392-0
Degas_Cover screenkorr_30102023.indd
1
ISBN 978-3-89790-673-0
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arnoldsche
Also by Gregory Hedberg at arnoldsche Art Publishers:
The Degas Plasters Groundbreaking revelations about Degas’ sculpture and the Hébrard bronzes
Chapter I analyzes the condition of Degas’ waxes at the time of his death and presents technical evidence indicating that only one of Degas’ surviving waxes was posthumously assembled from scattered fragments. It also argues that the surviving Degas waxes do not represent a random sampling of a much larger lost sculptural oeuvre, and that Degas may have appreciated the seemingly damaged or incomplete state of some of his waxes. Chapter II presents physical and documentary evidence that the Degas plasters preserved for years at the old Valsuani foundry in Paris were not cast at the same time. Chapter III is an in-depth study of the Tub plaster, which r ecords an earlier state of one of Degas’ most important sculptures. Chapter IV presents physical and documentary evidence stating that perhaps as many as half of the Hébrard bronzes were a ctually cast at the Valsuani foundry in Paris in the 1950s and 1960s. It then considers the evidence as to when, how, and by whom the final selection of seventy-four Degas models that were eventually cast into bronze by Hébrard was made.
Groundbreaking revelations about Degas’ sculpture and the Hébrard bronzes
Gregory Hedberg is a noted authority on European art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a particular focus on the creative process of artists. Dr. Hedberg has published articles, presented symposium papers, and organized museum exhibitions on the creative practice of Michelangelo, Millet, Albert Moore, Léger, and Degas. He also organized major groundbreaking museum exhibitions on British Victorian art and German Neue Sachlichkeit painting long before such art was fashionable. After graduating from Princeton University, he received his Ph.D. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University. In his long and distinguished career, Dr. Hedberg has held fellowships and curatorships in several important museums, including The Frick Collection, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. He also served as the founding director of the New York Academy of Art, a figurative studio art school in New York City. Before retiring, Dr. Hedberg was Director of European Art at Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York from 1992 until 2021.
The Degas Plasters
Photo © Landon Nordeman
Gregory Hedberg
arnoldsche
31.10.23
11:26