Auguste Rodin

Mrs Edith Mulford, Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.A. (acquired circa 1920-30)
Elizabeth Adams Keener, Texas (by descent from the above circa 1978)
Thence by descent to the present owners in 2001

Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1927, no. 87, illustration of the earlier version
Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, nos. 56-57, illustration of another cast n.p.
John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, no. 32b, illustration of another cast p. 243
Rodin (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, 1984, no. 63, colour illustration of another cast p. 111
Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, Paris, 2007, vol. I, no. S. 583, illustration of another cast p. 334
Robert Bowman (ed.), Rodin in Private Hands, London, 2014, n.n., colour illustrations of another cast n.p.

Rich brown patina. There is some wear to the patina in places and some tiny losses in places, most prominently to the woman's foot and leg; there are some further small scratches including to the woman's left breast and man's left thigh.This work is in good overall condition.
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An image of passion and raw physicality, Éternel Printemps is among Auguste Rodin’s most celebrated sculptures. Also known as Zéphyr et la Terre and Cupidon et Psyché, the model was exhibited at the Salon of 1897. It was conceived during an intense period of creative activity for Rodin’s monumental La Porte de l’Enfer. In the end, the euphoric feelings expressed made it inappropriate to include amongst the tragedy played out in La Porte, and Rodin decided only to include the bust of the male figure. The female figure is based on the highly sensual Torse d'Adèle, which is also included in La Porte.

The theme of embracing lovers was of primary concern for the artist throughout his creative life. A variant of Le Baiser, the work recalls the story of Paolo and Francesca, Dante’s mythical paramours who were condemned to spend eternity locked in a maelstrom of passion. With graceful fluidity, the young man lifts the woman from her knees into a passionate kiss. Her arched body is enveloped into the vigorous twist of his, in a pose that not only celebrates the union of man and woman, but also of stasis and movement, surrender and passion. The couple is animated by the dazzling play of light over the undulations of the bronze and its rich brown patina, and the dynamic upward movement of the man.

Éternel Printemps's carnality marks a shift in Rodin's œuvre from classical, allegorical depictions of love, to more sensual, human representations. 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, possibly a reflection of the artist's studio practice which allowed models to move freely and independently. In the 1880s, Rodin stated that ‘there is nothing in Nature that has more character than the human body’, here felt in the earthly spontaneity of the figures. Indeed, it is this potent combination of physical lyricism and romanticism that defines the work, and which has made it particularly attractive to collectors ever since.