Auguste Rodin

Musée Rodin, Paris
Acquired by the present owner in 1977

Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1927, no. 204, illustration of  the 11.5 in. version
Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, illustration of another cast pl. 58
John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, illustration of the marble and plaster pls. 9-10
Mary L. Levkoff, Rodin in His Time: The Cantor Gifts to the Los Angeles Museum of Art, Los Angeles and New York, 1994, illustration of another cast p. 124 
Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, vol. 1, Paris, 2007, illustration of another cast p. 329

Work is in excellent condition. Dark green patina. Minor spot of patina rubbing on back of female figure's hair. Some minor surface dirt in deeper crevices is easily cleaned away. 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.

"Grasping the theme of the couple, Rodin searched for diversity in it; he expressed in several works the silent adoration of man for woman and his submission before love... The group here [Eternal Idol] attained a degree of perfection rarely equaled. It is necessary to consider it from all angles to establish the unimpeachable position of the two people. Whatever angle from which it is viewed there is always a new aspect to be seen. On an emotional level, the duality of the sexes is apparent in the indifference of the woman to the homage the man is rendering to her beauty" (Cecile Goldscheider, Homage to Rodin, San Francisco, 1967, p. 62).

Conceived in 1890-91, the present sculpture is one of Rodin's most successful and powerful groups that explores the relationship between man and woman with great sensitivity, grace and emotive force. Its origins lie in an incident in the sculptor's studio which Jules Desbois, one of the master's assistants, was later to recount: "One day, from up on the scaffold where I was working on the Burgers of Calais, I noticed Rodin, who between some screens, was doing a nude sculpture, for which the model was a young woman, stretched out on a table. As the session was drawing to a close he bent over toward the woman and kissed her tenderly on the belly - a gesture of adoration of nature, which gave him much joy" (as quoted in Judith Cladel, Rodin, London, 1953, p. 271). 

Fig. 1 Another view of the present work