"The Heartbreak of Cellulite"
France, 19th Century CE
33 cm ~ wax, varnish
The material of composition in this mysterious unsigned work leads scholars to believe that it is by the famous ballet painter and wax sculptor Edgar Dragass, although his estate promises to sue anyone who says so definitively in print.
The undefined sculptor practiced the exceedingly difficult and laborious casting technique known as the "lost bronze process." This method requires that the statue first be carved out of bronze. Once complete, it is then covered with a claylike material, then sand is packed within a form to maintain the shape. The mold is then heated slowly to the point where the bronze melts and liquefies so that it can be poured out . Once the mold cools to about 250° F. (120° C.) it is filled with molten beeswax or paraffin, after which it is slowly brought to room temperature. The wax casting is carefully removed, aged for a few weeks, then lightly spray-varnished.
Other works in the same medium include "Fat Woman Falling Down" and "Syphilitic Pauper, Montmartre Workhouse 1891." The most famous of the alleged sculptor's works in this medium, "Little Ballerina Girl with Acne" was lost in 1887 when Mrs Dragass accidentally lit it to look for a misplaced buttonhook.