Degas’s Little Dancer

Artisan: Neil Carter
Date: Original date unknown; restored by the artist in 2022
Inscriptions: signed ‘Neil Carter’ (on the base)
Dimensions: 90 x 43 x 43 mm. / 3 ⅝ x 1 ¾ x 1 ¾ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.112
Intended Room: Music Room
Category: Sculpture

Provenance: Barbara Kinghorn-Dickinson and Stan Dickinson of BKD Miniatures; by descent to Barbara’s son Chris Kinghorn; from whom purchased by us via eBay in 2022.

It was only in early 2022 that I learned Neil Carter had produced replicas of Degas’s Little Dancer, the iconic statue showing a fourteen-year-old ballerina poised and waiting for her cue. It is no longer being made, as far as I know, and I was lucky enough to buy this second-hand example from the collection of Barbara and Stan Dickinson, via Barbara’s son Chris. When she arrived, she wasn’t pristine: her then-blue skirt had discoloured through contact with the bronze, and the hem was fragile and had broken in some places, but she was still beautiful. Every detail echoed the Degas originals, down to the fabric ribbon and the creases of her stockings below her knees.

I sent Neil a photo for his interest, and he very generously offered to restore her. He has repainted the bodice, replaced the skirt, burnished some areas of the bronze with steel work to bring out glints of gold, and finished the whole sculpture in beeswax to give it a soft sheen. If she was lovely before, she’s now gorgeous: a glorious piece of miniature art.

Degas’s original sculpture, exhibited for the first time in the sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881, caused a sensation. Its model was Marie Van Goethem, a real-life ballet student, and its naturalism was shocking – not only for challenging the conventions of elegance in sculpture, but also because it forced people to confront the determination, resilience and weariness faced by dancers during their exhausting training. Marie is not conventionally beautiful but she’s full of grace and dignity. The sculpture – which was cast in many other versions by Degas’s heirs – is now much loved around the world, but in the Quartermaines’ day it would have demonstrated their interest in cutting-edge, controversial contemporary art.

The natural place for this Little Dancer would have been in the Gallery, but that space is going to be dominated by Renaissance and Old Master art and sculpture, and I didn’t want her to feel out of place. It occurred to me that an ideal place for her would be the Music Room, where she would be the centre of attention and she’d be constantly surrounded by music and practising. I love the idea of her listening to the music, ready to take her first step.