AUGUSTE RODIN | L'Éternel printemps, second état, 4ème réduction, dite aussi "no. 2"

Musée Rodin, Paris
Eugène Rudier, Le Vésinet (acquired from the above)
M Massot-Pellet, France (acquired in 1970)
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 1, 1975
Edgardo Acosta, Los Angeles (acquired at the above sale)
Georges Sakelaris, Portland (acquired from the above)
Steve Banks Fine Arts, San Francisco
Acquired from the above on January 16, 1998

Léon Maillard, Auguste Rodin, Statuaire, Paris, 1899, illustration of another version pp. 121-22
Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1927, nos. 69-70, illustration of another version p. 42
Judith Cladel, Rodin, London, 1936, illustration of the marble version p. 97
Georges Grappe, Le Musée Rodin, Paris, 1944, no. 87, illustration of another version pl. 56
Robert Descharnes & Jean-François Chabrun, Auguste Rodin, London & Melbourne, 1967, illustration of another version p. 134
Ionel Jianou & Cécile Goldscheider, Rodin, Paris, 1967, nos. 56-57, illustrations of another cast pls. 56-57
John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, no. 32b, illustration of another version p. 246
Rodin (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, 1984, no. 63, illustration of another cast p. 111
Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, vol. I, Paris, 2007, no. S.777, illustration of another cast p. 334

Attractive rich black patina. There is some pitting to the surface of the bronze, inherent to the casting process. There is some surface dirt especially in the deeper crevices. Some signs of verdigris along the base of the rock. The work is in overall very good 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.
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.

Also known as Zéphyr et la terre and Cupidon et Psyché, Rodin’s L'Éternel printemps was exhibited at the Salon of 1897 and has become one of his best-known works. It was conceived during an intense period of creativity while Rodin was mapping out La Porte de l’enfer, and like its twin, Le Baiser, also recalls Dante’s story of Paolo and Francesca who were condemned to spend eternity locked in passionate embrace. The carnality of the model marks a shift from his earlier classical and allegorical depictions of love to more sensual representations and daring poses.

"No one could make bodies ‘speak’ better than Rodin" writes Norman-Romain. "At the peak of his powers, aided by the youth and openness of the models who posed for him, he conveyed his own euphoria in [Eternal Springtime] with a very skillful composition, built on an X, whose elegant forms, enhanced by the languidness of the bodies and the delicacy of the embrace, made it one of his most highly acclaimed works" (Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin, Catalogue of Works in the Musée Rodin, vol. I, Paris, 2007, p. 335).

This work will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Critique de l'oeuvre sculpté d'Auguste Rodin currently being prepared by the Comité Rodin in collaboration with Galerie Brame & Lorenceau under the direction of Jérôme Le Blay under the archive number 2019-5939B.