奥古斯特．羅丹

加斯東．本海姆-熱納，又名加斯東．維萊，加斯東．本海姆-熱納畫廊總監，巴黎（購自雕塑家本人）
私人收藏（繼承自上述人士）
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2007年2月6日，拍品編號1
現藏家購自上述拍賣會

雷昂斯．本尼迪 ，《羅丹》，倫敦，1924年，收錄另一較大的鑄品，圖版20  
阿爾伯特．愛德華．艾爾森，《羅丹》(展覽會圖錄)，大都會美術博物館，紐約，1963年，收錄陶器版本及另一鑄品，第58-59頁
丹尼斯．薩頓，《勝利的森林之神，奥古斯特．羅丹的世界》，倫敦，1966年，收錄另一鑄品，圖20
羅伯特．德沙爾納和尚-弗朗索瓦．夏布朗，《奥古斯特．羅丹》，巴黎，1967年，收錄陶器版本及另一較大的鑄品，第93頁
約勒爾．基諾和塞西爾．戈德沙伊德，《羅丹》，巴黎，1967年，收錄另一鑄品，圖版22
塞西爾．戈德沙伊德，《羅丹》(展覽會圖錄)，海沃美術館，倫敦，1970年，收錄另一鑄品，第41頁
阿爾伯特．愛德華．艾爾森，《羅丹》，倫敦，1974年，收錄陶器版本及另一較大的鑄品，第58-59頁
唐冠科，《奥古斯特．羅丹的雕塑》，費城，1976年，收錄陶器版本及另外兩件銅鑄品，第136-140頁
佛里德里克．格倫菲爾德，《羅丹傳記》，紐約，1987年，第187-188, 270 及 455頁
露絲．巴特勒，《羅丹：天才的身影》，紐黑文，1993年，第187-188 及192頁
安托瓦内特．諾曼德-羅曼，《羅丹的銅雕，羅丹美術館圖錄》，第I冊，巴黎，2007年，收錄另一鑄品，第360-362頁

This work is in very good condition. General wear to patina consistent with age and handling mostly to figure's left knee cap and left elbow. Shallow surface scratch to her lower abdomen, otherwise fine.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Femme accroupie is one of Rodin's most remarkable sculptures in its complex rendering of human form. Conceived in 1882, this sculpture was created around the time that Rodin received the commission to design the decorative portals for a new Museum of Decorative Arts, the work later to be known as Porte de l'Enfer. Appearing twice in this monument as part of the figures Je suis belle and L'homme qui tombe, her raw beauty brings to mind both Michelangelo and Delacroix (fig. 1).

According to Catherine Lampert, "Rodin may have been tempted for years to place a model in the pose of Michelangelo's Crouching Youth... Something about the sculpture's unearthly expression, defined by the pronounced Gothic cheekbones and open mouth, distinguishes her from the look of the usual hired models, those who pout or feign shyness... If anything, her type, with parted lips and dark sensuality, reminds us of Delacroix's ravaged women" (C. Lampert, Rodin Sculpture and Drawings, London, 1986, pp. 57 and 61).

The penetrating expression rendered in the present sculpture calls to mind the words of poet Rainer Maria Rilke: "Again and again in his figures Rodin returned to this bending inward, to this intense listening to one's own depth" (R. M. Rilke, Rodin, London, 1946, p. 23). Recognizing the power of this sculpture, first conceived in the scale of the present bronze, Rodin later enlarged and reduced it for use in cognate works.