Lot 22
  • 22

Auguste Rodin

Estimate
110,000 - 150,000 EUR
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Description

  • Auguste Rodin
  • Minotaure, version aux cornes recourbĂ©es
  • signed A. Rodin, stamped Alexis Rudier Fondeur Paris and inscribed 255 LUX
  • bronze
  • height : 33 cm ; 13 in.

Provenance

Musée du Luxembourg, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in December 1909)
Restituted to the artist in error by the museum and replaced by another example 
Maurice Loewen Collection, France
Sale : Étude Vauduoin-Ader, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 20 February 1934
Doctor Pechdo, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
By descent to the present owner

Condition

Attractive green/brown patina. There is a light build-up of dust in the recesses and some minor wear to the protruding parts. Some light surface scratches consistent with a normal level of wear and tear. This work is in very good original 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."

Catalogue Note

The present work is also known under the title of Jupiter TaureauFaune et Nymphe and Après Midi d'un faune. Drawing on the artist’s fascination with pagan themes, it was first produced by Rodin in the early 1880s and was inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses.  As John Tancock has remarked, "Minotaur points to Rodin's continued enthusiasm for the art of the eighteenth century [...]. It may be for this reason that it was one of the most widely admired by early connoisseurs" (John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976,  p. 272). Though Minotaur represented Rodin’s admiration for the art of previous eras, the powerfully erotic theme of the man with the head of a bull would later inspire a new generation of artists, notably Pablo Picasso who embraced the motif so obsessively he would eventually declare “If all the ways I have been along were marked on a map and joined up with a line, it might represent a minotaur” (quoted in Dore Ashton et al, Picasso on Art, New York, 1988, p. 159).