Dancer with a Tambourine
original wax 1880s, cast 1920/1964
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
copper alloy
Dimensions
overall with base: 27.7 x 17.1 x 17.5 cm (10 7/8 x 6 3/4 x 6 7/8 in.) overall (height of figure): 27.2 cm (10 11/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1985.64.63
Art Historical Context
Edgar Degas, a master of capturing the grace and energy of the ballet world, crafted *Dancer with a Tambine* in wax during the 1880, a period when he increasingly turned to sculpture to explore movement in three dimensions. This lively figure, later cast in copper alloy (bronze) between 0 and 1964, stands about 27 cm tall and embodies Degas's lifelong fascination with dancers. Poised mid-performance with her tambourine aloft, she freezes a fleeting moment, her tutu flaring dynamically—a signature of Degas's Impressionist-influenced style, though he preferred the term "Realist." Degas modeled ...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...