Auguste Rodin

Eugène Rudier, Le Vésinet

Dr. M. E. P. Mèrat, France (acquired from the above circa 1940)

Private Collection (by descent from the above)

Acquired from the above

Rainer Maria Rilke, Auguste Rodin, London, 1917, illustration of another cast, pl. 3

Judith Cladel, Rodin, sa vie glorieuse, sa vie inconnue, Paris, 1936, pp. 142-143

Albert Edward Elsen, Rodin (exhibition catalogue), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1963, no.45, illustration of another cast pp. 64-65

Robert Descharnes & Jean-François Chabrun, Auguste Rodin, Lausanne, 1967, illustration of another cast p. 95

Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, illustration of another cast pl. 21

Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin (exhibition catalogue), The Hayward Gallery, London, 1970, illustration of another cast p. 41

John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, illustrations of another cast, p. 142-143

Albert Edward Elsen, Rodin Rediscovered (exhibition catalogue), The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., 1981, illustration of another cast p. 316

Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, vol. I, Paris, 2007, illustration of another cast p. 254 

This work is in very good condition. Dark brown, black and dark blue patina. Minor surface dirt with general minor wear to patina from handling, 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.

Celle qui fut la belle Heaulmière is a rare work from Rodin's sculptural oeuvre. Seven casts were made of this work during Rodin's lifetime, six of which are in public collections. Four casts were made between 1918 and 1935 by Alexis Rudier, one of which is the present cast. An additional six casts by Georges Rudier were executed after 1957.

Celle qui fut la belle Heaulmière, conceived in the mid 1880's, is a prime example of Rodin's interest in the human body. Rodin, although equally skilled in depicting physical beauty, did not shy away from challenging subject matter. He spoke at length to Paul Gsell about what he viewed as beautiful in art: "In fact, in Art, only what has character is beautiful. Character is the intense truth of any natural spectacle, whether beautiful or ugly.... And what is regarded as ugly in Nature often shows more character than what is described as beautiful.... And as it is only strength of character that makes beauty in Art, it often happens that the uglier a being is in Nature, the more beautiful he is in Art" (as quoted in Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, vol. I, Paris, 2007, p. 255)

The realism and minutely rendered detail of Celle qui fut la belle Heaulmière would prove influential on many artists. "Rodin's work [Celle qui fut la belle Heaulmière] not only fascinated art historians and critics from Gustave Geffroy and Maurice Guillemot to Kenneth Clark, who regarded it as one of the "unforgettable nudes of pity" of the late nineteenth century, but also artists.... It became a reference for countless other sculptors: close friends like Camille Claudel and Constantin Meunier, as well as younger sculptors, including Henry Moore, who remembered having produced the standing figure of an old man in his early career because he had been so impressed by the figure of an old woman by Rodin" (ibid, p. 255)

The present cast of Celle qui fut la belle Heaulmière was patinated by Rodin's celebrated patiniste, Jean-François Limet. Limet's talents were unparalleled and he was known for exceptionally high standards in every detail of the casts he finished. At times he even reworked foundry imperfections himself. Rodin used Limet almost exclusively from 1890 on, relying on him to give his bronzes their uniquely brilliant patinas.