The Degas Waxes: An Opportunity for
In-Depth Investigation
The National Gallery of Art's extensive
Collection of wax sculptures by Edgar
Degas presents a rare opportunity for the
Investigation of his unconventional
Approach to sculpture and an in-depth
Study of the bulk of his work in this
Genre.
While Degas exhibited only one
Sculpture in his lifetime—Little Dancer
Aged fourteen—more than one hundred
Of the so-called "wax" sculptures were
Found in his studio after his death. Most
Are constructed from a mixture of bees
Wax and modeling clay, with additives
Such as starches, fats, or resins, and cou-
pled with materials such as corks, paper,
Rope and plaster-saturated rags. They are
Formed over armatures of wire, wood,
Metal pins, and other materials. Historical
Records indicate that only about thirty of
These sculptures were intact and suitable
For casting in bronze when they were
Originally discovered, but ultimately
Bronzes were cast of seventy-four sculp-
tures, implying that approximately forty-
Four were repaired or enhanced prior to
Casting.
Of the seventy remaining original
Sculptures (four were destroyed during the
Casting process), fifty have come to the
Gallery through the generosity of Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Mellon. Seventeen were donat-
ed in 1985 and thirty-three more in 1999,
Giving the Gallery the largest collection of
Degas wax sculptures in the world and
The majority of the work the artist pro-
duced in this medium over a period of
Approximately fifty years. This remark-
able collection, and the Gallery's wide
Array of scientific resources, afford the
Museum an opportunity to explore Degas'
Sculptural techniques and his progression
As a sculptor, and to conduct an in-depth
Analysis of the materials he used as well
As a comparison of their current state to
Their condition in Degas' day. In addition,
The presence of so many Degas sculptures
In the collection makes it possible to
Study which works may have undergone
Changes after the artist's death, and the
Extent and impact of these revisions. A
Detailed understanding of the materials
Used to create the sculptures has already
Enhanced conservation efforts; we know
The ideal temperature and humidity in
Which they should be displayed and the
Materials with which they can safely be
Repaired. The Gallery's research is also
Yielding a systematic catalogue devoted to
Degas' sculptures, which will enable the
Gallery to share its knowledge of these
Exquisite works of art and the artist's
Process with conservators, scholars, and
Connoisseurs around the world.
The collaborative project to study the
Degas waxes involves Gallery object con-
servators Shelley Sturman and Daphne
Barbour; conservation scientists Barbara
Berrie, Suzanne Lomax, and Michael
Palmer; and an art historian from the
University of Pennsylvania, Suzanne
Glover Lindsay. Although this team was
formed only last year, four team members
Began the technical and historical study of
The waxes in 1989 and have learned a
Research on the Collections
Daphne Barbour (left) and Shelley Sturman, object
Conservators at the National Gallery, compare an
X-ray of the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen with the
Wax sculpture
Great deal already about these enigmatic
Works of art. (Barbour and Sturman have
Published some of their initial findings in
Art journals and a National Gallery of Art
Exhibition catalogue, Degas at the Races
[1998] .)
As a first step toward understanding
The waxes, conservators examine each
Sculpture individually and compare it to
Historical records, which often exist in the
Form of photographs. Many, though not
All, of the waxes were photographed in an
Inventory taken in 1917, shortly after
Degas' death. A comparison of the photo-
graph and the sculpture often reveals sub-
tle changes that have occurred over time;
Sometimes the changes are drastic. For
Example, it is clear from such compare-
son that Seated Woman Wiping Her Left
Hip was altered: the 1917 inventory pho-
tograph shows a headless figure, while the
Existing wax sculpture includes the fig-
ure's head.
"We also try to look at a posthumous
Bronze version of the same sculpture to
Determine what was done to the sculpture
In anticipation of casting and afterward.
We take x-rays and perform other analy-
ses," explains object conservator Daphne
Barbour. "In terms of the scientific
Research on Seated Woman Wiping Her
Left Hip, the first step was to analyze the
body and the head to see if the head did
In fact belong to this sculpture or was
Taken from another one in the studio, and
Whether it was made by Degas or by
Someone else," she says. "We concluded
That the head and body are almost identi-
cal in terms of composition, leading us to
Believe this is the original head of the fig-
ure."
X-rays taken of the Degas waxes in
The Gallery's collection have revealed
Many intriguing facts about his work.
They show, for instance, that there is a
Lack of significant armature in some of
The pieces, an aspect of Degas' work for
Which he was criticized by his contempt-
raries. X-radiography has also revealed
The presence of many unusual objects
Used as internal support, including a draft-
ing tool, paint brushes, chunks of wood,
Wine bottle corks, and even a perforated
lid. the pins shown on the x-rays often
Provide clues as to which of the sculp-
tures have been repaired. Conservators
And historians have determined the mate-
rials Degas typically used for armatures;
The presence of other materials is a clear
Indication of a restorer's work. Although
None of the pieces other than Little
Dancer Aged Fourteen is dated, the
researchers speculate that those with more
Highly defined armature preceded those in
Which little armature exists?
Often research such as that being
Undertaken on the Degas waxes is intend-
ed, in part, to establish the authenticity of
The works, yet the authenticity of the
Waxes are not in question. There is uncer-
tainty, however, about where Degas' work
Begins and ends, since it is known that
Many of the waxes were repaired or oth-
erwise altered after his death. "We try to
Determine what is original and what con-
stitutes a repair, and, if possible, when the
Repair was done, so that we can distin-
guish his working methods from another
Source," Barbour explains. In addition to
Visual comparisons, x-rays, and chemical
Analyses, researchers also use historical
Documents to explore these questions.
"Mr. Mellon's restorer, Joseph Ternbach,
Kept notes about his work on the waxes,
And these notes help us differentiate what
Ternbach did from what was original to
Degas," Barbour says.
Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, the
Only wax sculpture Degas ever exhibited
And the most famous of these works, rais-
es numerous questions the Gallery is
Investigating. "One of our questions is
Whether the tutu is original. We are com-
paring it to the inventory photographs,
And we will conduct research about the
Materials from which it is made," says
Barbour. "We will also investigate the
Composition of her slippers, and the wig
Over which Degas placed wax to form the
Figure’s hair. The wig has always been
X-ray of Seated Woman Wiping Her Left Hip
Shows how the head of Degas' broken sculp-
ture was reattached with long nails and a
Door-hinge pin before being cast in bronze
Edgar Degas, Seated Woman Wiping Her
Left Hip, probably 1901/1911, brown wax,
National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and
Mrs. Paul Mellon
Described as being made of horse hair, but
As far as we know no one has ever ana-
lyzed it. We can do that now, with the
Help of our scientific research department,
Using the Gallery's scanning electron
Microscope." This microscope, says
Organic chemist Suzanne Lomax, is capa-
ble of high magnification, as well as aid-
ing in material identification. "We can
Focus on individual particles, and an x-ray
Spectrometer inside the microscope can
Tell us what elements are present in that
Particle."
The scanning electron microscope
(SEM) has been particularly helpful in
Providing information about the composi-
tion of the pigments Degas used to tint
The wax figures and the information from
These analyses complement the results
For pigment identification using polarized
Light microscopy. "The waxes were much
More colorful than is evident at first—
Much of the original pigmentation has
Been lost by a darkening that has occurred
Over time," Barbour says. "For instance,
The Dancer in the Role of a Harlequin is
Red, the Dancer Looking at the Sole of
Her Right Foot is green, and the little
Dancer Aged Fourteen would originally
Have been golden, with the lips painted
Red." In addition to the SEM, the Gallery's
Scientific research department uses anoth-
er instrument, an x-ray fluorescence spec-
trometer (XRF), to examine the pigmenta-
tion of the wax sculptures. This device is
Capable of providing information on the
Composition of the surface of an object
Without the need for taking a sample. “A
Beam of x-rays pointed at the work of art
Interacts with the atoms in the piece,
Enabling you to obtain a characteristic
Spectrum from which you can identify the
Elemental composition of the surface
Material," explains senior conservation
Scientist Barbara Berrie.
The comparison of a wax sculpture to
The bronzes produced from it can also
Yield valuable information about how the
Wax figure may have changed over time.
"When Albino Palazzolo, the master
Founder at A.-A. Hébrard in Paris, cast the
Waxes in bronze, he tried to approximate
The surfaces of the waxes. By comparing
The current surface appearance of a wax
Sculpture to that of its bronze, we become
Aware of how distinct the two materials
Are. The subtlety of the modeling and the
Presence of color in the wax versions are
Truly unique," Barbour says. "However,
Sometimes a comparison with the bronze
Is helpful in identifying where damage
And repairs have occurred to the wax
Sculpture after the casting process."
Other analytical methods are used to
Determine the composition of a wax
Sculpture, such as gas chromatography,
Which can also separate and identify the
Paint binders in works of art—in the case
Of the Degas sculptures, beeswax, paraffin
Wax, lard, and suet. Lomax explains, “At
The end of the process, the chromatogram
Shows a characteristic pattern of the indi-
Visual materials used to construct the
Sculpture." Because each of Degas' sculp-
tures appears to have a different composi-
tion, each one has to be tested individual-
ly. Gallery staff wonders, for instance, why
The surface of Study for the Little Dancer
Appears black. "We know that beeswax
Darkens as it ages, but we are exploring
Whether this sculpture is made exclusively
Of beeswax, or whether pigment has been
Added and the blackening is a reaction to
Its surrounding environment," Barbour
Explains. Previous analysis has already
Yielded information about the sculpture's
Composition, as well as Degas' working
Methods. “Although we know from analy-
sis that she has a plaster core, we can tell
That Degas was able to reposition the fig-
ure's foot after he poured the base," says
Barbour, pointing out a footprint-like
Indentation on the top of the sculpture's
Base.
This ability to alter the posture of his
Sculptures as he worked on them,
Researchers have found, was one aspect of
Degas' unconventional and experimental
Working method. The use of flexible wax
Over a pliable armature of twisted wire,
Such as that used in The Bow, enabled
Degas to reposition the figure as he
Viewed it from every angle. But Degas'
Methods and materials changed consider-
ably over the five decades of his devel-
opment as a sculptor, and scholars are still
Learning about this evolution. "We are try-
ing to understand him as a sculptor—how
The sculptures were made, how they fit
into Degas' own oeuvre stylistically and
Chronologically, as well as how they fit
Into the larger picture of what was going
On in the art world at that time," Barbour
Explains. “As we begin to see patterns, we
May be able to establish a more definite
Chronology for his work. We are collabo-
Rating—scientists, historians, and conser-
vators—in grappling with these ques-
tions."
As the Gallery's investigation contin-
Use, more clues about Edgar Degas, his
Methods and the development of his
Sculptural art will inevitably be uncov-
ered, enriching our understanding of this
Remarkable artist and his posthumously
Discovered wax sculptures.
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