21 - Auguste RODIN (1850–1917)

Auguste RODIN (1850–1917) Iris, Messenger of the Gods, with Head, 1890–1891 Patinated bronze cast, signed, dated 1972, stamped “Musée Rodin,” stamped “Susse fondeur Paris,” and numbered 8. Casts produced by the Musée Rodin beginning in 1969. H. 49 cm W. 40 cm Bibliography: - “The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin,” John L. Tancock, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976, reproduced on pages 288 and 291 - “Rodin,” Laurent Monique, Éditions Chêne-Hachette, Paris, 1988, reproduced on pages 110 and 111 Exhibitions: - “Auguste Rodin,” Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, May–June 1982, Cat. No. 71 (another bronze) - “Rodin Sculptures,” New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, November 1982–June 1983, Cat. No. 75 (another bronze) - “Rodin,” Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, May 12–October 7, 1984, Cat. No. 69 (other bronze) - “Camille Claudel–Auguste Rodin: Artists’ Dialogues—Resonances,” Bern Kunstmuseum, March 16–May 19, 1985, Cat. No. 43 (other bronze) - “Auguste Rodin,” National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul, July 25–August 29, 1985, Cat. No. 34 (other bronze) - “Rodin,” Nagoya, Himeji, Kure..., October 4, 1985–August 27, 1986, Cat. No. 64 (another bronze) - “Rodin: Sculptures and Watercolors,” Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, Albi, June 20–September 6, 1987, Cat. No. 12 (other bronze) - “Rodin, 150th Anniversary of His Birth,” Miyagi, Sapporo, Ibaraki, 1990, Cat. No. 29 (another bronze) - “Rodin the Sculptor: Little-Known Works,” Rodin Museum, Paris, November 24, 1992–April 11, 1993, Cat. No. 133 (another bronze) Originally part of *The Gates of Hell*, where she was depicted lying on her back, *Iris* was sculpted around 1891 to crown the Monument to Victor Hugo; she was then given wings and positioned in a diving stance for the second Monument to Victor Hugo, completed in 1897. By 1894, enlarged, upright, and placed in a vertical position, it was cast by A. Rudier. It appears in photographs from around 1896–1898 in front of *La Porte de l’Enfer*. In mythology, Iris serves as the link between the world of mortals and that of the gods. Under the name Iris, messenger of the gods, the work is at once Symbolist and mythological, yet it also possesses a strong formal presence. The pose chosen by Rodin naturally evokes Gustave Courbet’s *The Origin of the World* (Musée d’Orsay, Paris), which sparked both scandal and fascination. Ethereal and dynamic, the work also suggests the dance movements of the French cancan or the split performed by a gymnast. Some versions of the work, or certain later casts, feature a head like the one in our collection. These may be study or intermediate versions, in which Rodin began with a complete figure; posthumous reconstructions; or variations created by his collaborators or workshops after his death, sometimes for more decorative purposes or to meet market demand.