Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Peter Fusco and H.W. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin:  French Nineteenth-Century Sculpture from North American Collections, Los Angeles, 1980, pp. 153-154, for an entry and illustration on the full model

Extensive wear and tarnishing to brown patina, now showing the reddish color of the bare bronze. Dirt to crevices. The bronze bust is mounted on a later green marble plinth. This has not been unscrewed and therefore the underside of the bronze has not been inspected.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

La Génie de la Danse caused a great scandal upon its unveiling in 1869.  The creation of the work strained Carpeaux's already precarious finances, which led him to develop individual elements from the different figures and produce them as independent works in a variety of materials.  This bust from La Danse was the first detail of the group to be individually edited is perhaps the most popular of these enhanced models.  Carpeaux frequently offered terracotta editions of the bust in his public sales from 1871 to 1874, though it was rarely offered by his heirs.  However bronze and marble editions were extensively produced after 1894.