Auguste Rodin

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 11th December 1992, lot 36
Private Collection, France (purchased at the above sale)

Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1929, no. 114, illustration of the marble version p. 57
Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1944, no. 71, illustration of the larger marble
Georges Grappe, Le Musée Rodin, Paris, 1947, p. 142, pl. 71, illustration of the marble version
Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1962, illustration of the marble version p. 49
Albert E. Elsen, Rodin, New York, 1963, illustration of the larger bronze version p. 63
Bernard Champigneulle, Rodin, London, 1967, nos. 78 & 79, illustration of the marble version pp. 162-163
Robert Descharnes & Jean-François Chabrun, Auguste Rodin, Lausanne, 1967, colour illustration of the marble version p. 131
Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, illustration of the marble version pl. 55
Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin Sculptures, London, 1970, no. 49, illustration of the marble version p. 121
John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, illustration of the marble version p. 77
Nicole Barbier, Marbres de Rodin: Collection du Musée, Paris, 1987, no. 79, illustration of the marble version p. 185
Albert E. Elsen, Rodin's Art, The Rodin Collection of the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for the Visual Arts at Stanford University, New York, 2003, pp. 214-215, no. 49, illustration of the larger bronze version
Antoinette le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Paris, 2007, vol. I, illustration of another cast p. 161

Dark brown patina with slight green variations. Apart from some very light wear to the patina, mainly to the figures' hair and the rock base, this work is in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One of the most important and timeless works in the history of 20th Century art, Le Baiser is, in fact, a symbol of the perils of adulterous love. The figures represent the star-crossed lovers Paolo and Francesca from Dante's Inferno, who were murdered by Francesca's husband and Paolo's brother, Vanni Malatesta, and doomed to spend all eternity in an embrace. Paolo and Francesca's unfortunate liaison was intended as a cautionary tale, but the sensuality of Rodin's work seems to run counter to the intended moral, leaving the viewer to wonder if being locked in an eternal kiss was really such a terrible fate for two young lovers.

The work was originally intended for the left side of Rodin's monumental project The Gates of Hell, but was never included as Rodin felt the work lacked the tragic mood it required. Instead he chose to exhibit the sculpture separately at the Galerie Georges Petit and the Exposition Générale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and it quickly became one of Rodin's signature works. The French government commissioned a marble version in 1888, and after the work was exhibited at the Paris Salon that same year to rave reviews, the Barbedienne foundry cast bronze editions in four different sized between 1898 and 1918. Le Baiser became one of Rodin's most iconic works and helped cement his place in the artistic firmament of 19th century Paris. As Albert E. Elsen points out, 'In The Kiss, which could have been made in 1881, Rodin was still trying to show the official art world that he could compete with the best of the Prix de Rome winners. In fact, he not only outdid them in the sincerity of the lovers' expressions of mutual awareness and love, he even revived an old gesture of sexual appropriation by having the more assertive Francesca sling her leg over the hesitant Paolo' (A. E. Elsen, The Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin, Stanford, 1985, p. 78).