Rodin_2011

was inappropriate for the subject matter of The Gates . It in fact belongs to a series of works, the early stages of which date back to Rodin’s Belgian period and which he was still exploring in the 1880 s, based on the themes of childhood and maternal or fraternal love. In this charming work, where the feelings expressed bear witness to an extraordinary spontaneity, Rodin, who had by now fully mastered the technique of modeling bodies, emerged as an heir to Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.” 1 Numerous reproductions, marble replicas, and bronze casts testify to the success of Young Mother in the Grotto . Claude Monet received a bronze cast as a gift in 1888 , and Durand-Ruel purchased a marble carving in 1890 . The first two bronze casts were produced by Francois Rudier in 1887 . The present example is one of eleven casts produced at the Griffoul and Lorge foundry between 1888 and 189 6 (four were cast in 1888 ; two in 1889 ; one in 1890 ; one in 1892 ; one in 1895 , and two in 189 6). The outstanding casting technique on display is reminiscent of the finest 18 th-century bronzes

1. Le Normand-Romain, Rodin et le bronze , Vol. II, Paris, 2007 , p. 471 .