Degas never released these sculptures during his lifetime. They were sketches, working models, orignally made in less durable materials such as wax, plaster and clay. Degas had not dated or signed the sculptures. Over 150 sculptures were found in his studio after his death in 1917, and almost all had started to decay. Degas’s heirs therefore decided to allow 72 of the scuptures to be cast in bronze in several editions.