Technical examination of three rare lifetime wax sculptures by Degas, focussing on the types of armatures used. These three, of dancers in various poses, are the only autograph sculptures by Degas in the UK; the majority of his surviving... more
Technical examination of three rare lifetime wax sculptures by Degas, focussing on the types of armatures used. These three, of dancers in various poses, are the only autograph sculptures by Degas in the UK; the majority of his surviving lifetime sculptures are now in US museums, with a further five in Paris. X-radiographs of each armature are shown. Unusually for Degas, all three waxes have shop-bought armatures; two also utilise commercially-made back-stand supports. Only six other sculptures, all in the collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, are so far known to have been constructed around commercial armatures; whereas the vast majority were home-made by Degas himself.
