Edgar Degas Study in the Nude of Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Nude Little Dancer)

A young, nude girl is roughly modeled and cast with bronze-colored copper alloy in this free-standing sculpture. Her body is angled to our left in this photograph. Her weight rests on her left foot and her other leg extends long, the foot turned out at an angle. Her hands are clasped behind her back, and her round belly projects from her swayed hips. Her head is tipped back so her chin is lifted. Her eyes are closed, and her thin lips are set in a line. Light glints off the surface of the copper in some areas, especially on the cheek closer to us and the front of her shoulder. She stands on a rectangular base. The work is stamped on the top of the base in the front left corner, “Degas.”