Rodin_2011

2. Bust of a Woman ( Buste Féminin ; also known à la Ville)

Conceived 1871 ; this example 1897 – 1901 Patinated terracotta, this version made by estampage Height 11 7 ⁄ 8 inches ( 30 . 2 cm) Signed and dedicated on back: Petit (?) hommage à Madame Druet/ A. Rodin

provenance Mrs. Eugène Druet, Paris, from 1901 (gift of the artist); Collection Prouvost, France; Private Collection, France (acquired from the above); sale, Christie’s New York, November 5 , 2003 ; Private Collection. literature Cécile Goldscheider, Auguste Rodin, Catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre sculpté , Paris, 1989 , vol. 1 , p. 3 6, no. ; Vers l’age d’airain: Rodin en Belgique , Musée Rodin, Paris, March 18 –June 15 , 1997 , pp. 12 6– 7 ; Jérôme Le Blay, Catalogue critique de l’oeuvre sculpté d’Auguste Rodin (in preparation), Paris, no. 2003 - 340 B. This delightful terracotta is characteristic of Rodin’s decorative works from the beginning of his stay in Belgium ( 1871 – 77 ). Comparable works include Vénus and Love , which current expertise dates 1871 , and Suzon of 1872 . The cast was produced from a plaster mold, almost certainly between 1897 and 1901 , the period in which Rodin was professionally connected to photographer and entrepreneur Eugène Druet ( 1897 – 191 6). The owner of a café called “Le Yacht Club” on the Place de l’Alma, facing Rodin’s studio, Druet worked as Rodin’s principal photographer from 1897 until 1901 . Druet also played a key role in organizing Rodin’s special exhibition at the Place de l’Alma in 1900 , and was in charge of its promotion and installation. During the course of the exhibition, Druet served as Rodin’s representative, overseeing the sale of sculptures while retaining exclusive rights to sell his own reproductions on the premises. The photo sales touched off a serious financial disagreement in the course of the exhibition. Due to the efforts of Druet’s wife, Lucie, to get the two men to agree to terms, their quarrel was resolved after the close of the exhibition, in early 1901 . Though relations between Druet and Rodin never completely recovered, Rodin maintained a warm regard for Lucie. He modeled her portrait during this period, and presented her with an endearing gift, this terracotta bust of a young woman, on which the sculptor inscribed a dedication.

This work is a pendant to another bust titled In the Country , an example of which is housed in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Ixelles, Brussels.