Auguste Rodin

Private Collection, USA (sold: Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 14th January 1959, lot 41)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Léon Maillard, Etudes sur quelques artistes originaux. Auguste Rodin statuaire, Paris, 1899, pp. 121-122
Léonce Bénédite, Rodin, London, 1924, illustration of another cast pl. 53A
Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1927, no. 69, illustration of another cast p. 42
Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, illustrations of another cast pls. 56-57
John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, no. 32b, illustration of another cast p. 243
Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin: Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, Paris, 2007, vol. I, no. S.2808, illustration of another cast p. 332

Rich brown patina. Apart from a a few small spots of retouching to the patina, one on the male figure's left thigh and heel and another to the female's hip, this work is in 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."

Eternel printemps was one of Rodin's most popular sculptures of the 1880s. The theme of embracing lovers preoccupied the artist and calls to mind the story of Paolo and Francesca, Dante's mythical paramours who were condemned to spend eternity locked in a maelstrom of passion. For the figure of the woman Rodin used the highly sensual Torse d'Adèle, 1882, which was named after the model who posed for the sculptor. This form was first used to the left of the tympanum of the Porte de l'Enfer and again later in La Chute d'un Ange, but it gained its greatest fame when it was united with the figure of the youthful male in the present work. When Rodin received a commission for the first of the marble versions, it became apparent that the outstretched left arm and right leg of the male figure, extending freely into space in the first state, would have to be modified. Consequently the base was enlarged to provide support for the leg and arm. In addition to six examples in marble, a bronze edition incorporating the changes was cast by the Leblanc Barbedienne foundry between 1898 and 1918.

Animated by the dazzling play of light on the surface and the sweeping upward movement of the man's body, the figures seem ready to take flight. As Ionel Jianou and Cécile Goldscheider have noted: 'Rodin is an artist who can see and dares to express in all sincerity what he has seen. He discovers the enchantment of light and its resources, the vibration and intimate movement of surfaces and planes, the throb of passion that animates form. He uses "highlights, heavy shadows, paleness, quivering, vaporous half-tones, and transitions so finely shaded that they seem to dissolve into air", giving his sculpture "the radiance of living flesh''' (I. Jianou & C. Goldscheider, op. cit., p. 19).

From dealing with the theme of love in an allegorical way, Rodin began treating it in more human terms. As evident in the present work, there is a marked increase in the eroticism of his art and a corresponding growth in the daring movement of the poses which could be a reflection of the artist's studio practise allowing the models to move freely and independently. Rodin himself proclaimed: 'Sculpture does not need to be original, what it needs is life. [...] I used to think that movement was the chief thing in sculpture and in all I did it was what I tried to attain. [...] Grief, joy, thoughts - in our art all becomes action' (quoted in ibid., pp. 19-20).