Grande Arabesque, Third Time (First Arabesque Penchée)

This bronze was cast from one of nearly two hundred wax figures that Edgar Degas created as studio props. Degas built up the body on a wire armature, leaving small pieces of wax unblended as he sculpted the figure's overall form. This nude holds a pose known in ballet as a grand arabesque, which served as a test of a dancer's strength and balance. Degas frequently incorporated the wax figures' poses into images of dancers, bathers, and racehorses. A Parisian foundry produced a limited edition run of these casts two years after Degas's death.

Gift of Henry W. and Marion H. Bloch