The sculptor Léonard Agathon remains famous for the centrepiece known as the Scarf Dance.

Presented by the Manufacture de Sèvres at the Universal Exposition of 1900, the centrepiece, composed of fifteen graceful dancers, won considerable success, amplified by its edition in biscuit porcelain and in bronze.

The Petit Palais recently acquired two of the ten original terracotta sketches presented by the sculptor at the Salon of 1897.

These works, which illustrate the sculptor’s early thinking, are extremely rare: only two other sketches are currently conserved, at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Hamburg, Germany.

C. C.-V.

City of Paris municipal collection's website

City of Paris municipal collection's website

The collections portal can be used to search the collections of Paris’s 14 municipal museums (approximately 336,000 works, including 43,000 belonging to the Petit Palais).

It is also possible to download around 12,000 images of the museum’s works free of charge.

Access the Museums of the City of Paris collections portal
Autre base documentaire

Extern databases

Discover a selection of databases online presenting works from the Petit Palais or documents concerning the history of the museum.