The Bow
1880s/1890s
Medium
pigmented beeswax, metal armature, on wooden base
Dimensions
overall without base: 32.5 x 18.1 x 19.4 cm (12 13/16 x 7 1/8 x 7 5/8 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1985.64.50
Art Historical Context
Step into the delicate world of Edgar Degas *The Bow*, a captivating pigmented beeswax sculpture from the1880s or 1890s, now housed in the National Gallery Art's Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul. Standing just over 32 cm tall without its wooden base, this intimate work features a metal armature beneath layers of colored wax, allowing Degas to achieve lifelike flexibility and subtle surface textures. Though Degas is celebrated for his Impressionist paintings of ballet dancers, his sculptures—often kept private—reveal his obsession with capturing the human form in motion, particularly the poised ...
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 ...