Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) - Lot 96

Lot 96
Go to lot
Estimation :
60000 - 80000 EUR
Register for the sale on drouot.com
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) - Lot 96
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) The Man with the Broken Nose Model "with skull cap cut above the ribbon and neck cut horizontally, known as type II, 2nd model" created in 1863; cast by the Alexis Rudier foundry in November 1926. Bronze with antique green patina Signed "A. Rodin" under the left ear Bears the founder's mark "A. Rudier. Rudier / Fondeur. Paris" on the back of the neck Bears the mark "A. Rodin" in relief on the inside H. 27 cm, on an onyx pedestal H. 12 cm A youthful work by Rodin before his departure for Belgium, Man with a Broken Nose is a portrait of an old habitué of the Saint-Marcel district, where the sculptor had his studio. Probably executed at the end of 1863, this sculpture is considered by Rodin to be the pivotal work that determined all his future work. As he described it to his friend Bartlett: "It's the first good thing I've done (...) I've never succeeded in making a figure as good as Broken Nose". The cold winter weather and the difficulty of heating the studio caused the clay head to freeze and the back of the skull to break. The head of Man with a Broken Nose then became a mask, and the work, in this form, was rejected at the 1864 and 1865 Salons. It was after Jules Desbois had rediscovered the mask in Rodin's studio that the bronze edition, in this state, was undertaken and entrusted to the foundryman Valsuani. The first proof was presented at the Salon of 1878. The damaged terracotta remained in the master's workshop. He amused himself by presenting the work to visitors as an antique found in a junk shop. Provenance: Musée Rodin, Paris. - Eugène Rudier, Le Vésinet (acquired from previous owner, 1942) - Madame Adolphine Lanothe widow Rudier (by descent, 1952) - Monsieur Raymond Subes, Paris (by descent, 1957) - Mrs Raymond Subes née Mathilde Berton (by descent, 1970) - Mrs André Subes (by descent, 2001) By descent. Related works : -Auguste Rodin, L'Homme au nez cassé, tête avec calotte crânienne découpée au-dessus du ruban et cou sectionné à l'horizontale dit type II, 2ème modèle, 1864, cast in 1916, bronze, signed "A. Rodin" below the left ear, inscribed "ALEXIS. RUDIER. / FONDEUR. PARIS", embossed "A. Rodin" inside, H. 26.2 x W. 18.8 x D. 23.3 cm, Paris, Musée Rodin, inv. S.00496 ; -Auguste Rodin, L'Homme au nez cassé, foundry model in plaster, H. 26.8 x W. 20 x D. 23.5 cm, Paris, Musée Rodin, inv. S.01440; -Auguste Rodin, L'homme au nez cassé, 1865, bronze mask, signed "A. Rodin" on the left neck, bears the mark "A. Rodin" in relief on the inside, H. 25.8 x W. 21 x D. 23.2 cm, Paris, Musée d'Orsay, inv. RF 2238 ; Related literature: -Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, Rodin et le bronze, catalog des œuvres conservées au Musée Rodin, Paris, RMN, 2007, model listed p.415.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue