Auguste Rodin 1840-1917
9.2 x 3.2 x 4 cm
Further images
Georges Grappe, second director of the Rodin Museum, noted that this hand was the model for the smaller element in Rodin's famous assemblage The Cathedral, 1906, in which two gently curved hands combine to enclose a space reminiscent of a Gothic rib vault.
Throughout his career, Rodin sculpted numerous bozzetti; small scale sculptures of hands, feet, heads and torsos, from which he would create larger assemblages. His fascination with hands in particular went beyond anatomical interest; however sculpting these models enabled him to explore proportions and form. This production was especially prevalent when Rodin was creating the monumental sculpture Gates of Hell, which features numerous individually sculpted figures. Rodin was fascinated by hands, he created a huge array in different sizes and materials. His fascination with hands was partly due to his belief that God had given him his artistic talents therefore his hands became a symbol of his faith and his divine creativity.
Provenance
Rodin Museum, ParisB. Gerald Cantor, Los Angeles, by whom acquired from the previous in October 1960
Feingarten Galleries, Los Angeles
Catherine Gamble Curran, New York, acquired circa 1965
Acquired at the previous sale by the family of the owner