The School Girl Sculpture By Edgar Degas (c. 1881). Degas' idiosyncratic sculptures exist outside the 19th-century French sculptural tradition. With the exception of the, now famous, Little fourteen-year-old Dancer, Degas never exhibited any of his sculptures. After his death, over 150 wax sculptures were found at his studio, some were only rough studies, but many were very refined. Perhaps it was due to his visual handicap that, later in life, wax modeling appealed to Degas so strongly. His motto was: "Le dessin n'est pas la forme, c'est la maniere de la voir" (the design is not the form, but the method of viewing). This definitely applies to 'The Schoolgirl' with her half shy, half saucy walk.