Auguste Rodin
Main gauche
Circa 1890
Bronze sculpture, mounted on black marble base (6.8 x 6.8 x 6.8 cm) Height 10.8 cm. Width 7.5cm. Depth 7 cm Signed 'A. Rodin' on the inside right of wrist and outside with foundry mark "G. Rudier Fondeur Paris" as well as annotation "Copyright by musée Rodin 1957". This piece was cast by Georges Rudier, Paris, in August 1957. One of a projected edition of 8 exemplars, of which only 3 were realized, by Georges Rudier between 1957 and 1961, beside the 4 exemplars by Alexis Rudier, Paris, which were cast between 1945 and 1950. Édition Musée Rodin, Paris, 1957. - Green-brown patina, partially slighty rubbed on the wrist.
The human hand and its expressive possibilities exercised an irresistible fascination on Auguste Rodin. Particularly between 1880 and 1890, the sculptor modelled hundreds of studies of hands: many of these were conceived in terms of maquettes for his large sculptures, however, he elevated some of them to the status of independent works of art on account of their expressive power. Rodin preserved every fragment from these studies - however small or damaged - in his studio, where they were complemented by his private collection of ancient sculptures.
The “Main Gauche No 4” offered here presents a muscular male hand with a thickset heel and slender fingers in a relaxed, but simultaneously stimulating pose. In this respect, it strongly resembles the left hand of Eustache de Saint-Pierre, one of the Burghers of Calais (cf. Antoinette le Normand-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin. Catalogue of works in the Musée Rodin, vol. 1, Paris 2007, p. 231) - a piece whose expressive power captivated Rodin so much that he personally photographed it many times.
Certificate
With an expert report by Jérôme Le Blay, Comité Rodin Paris, dated 3 November 2020; the bronze will be included in the catalogue raisonné of sculptures by Auguste Rodin currently under preparation and will receive the archive no. 2020-6252 B.
Provenance
Musée Rodin, Paris; Galerie Vömel, Düsseldorf (acquired from the museum in 1958); formerly Collection KS Prof. Dr. hc. Hilde Zadek, Vienna; Private possession, South Germany
Literature
Cf. Antoinette Le Norman-Romain, The Bronzes of Rodin. Catalogue of works in the Musée Rodin, Paris 2007, p. 44 (historic photo of the plaster cast in the Rudier foundry); cat. Sotheby's, Impressionist and Modern Day Sale, 20 June 2013, Lot 447 (one of 4 Alexis Rudier casts)