Eugène Rudier, Le Vésinet

M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired from the above in 1923)

Mr. Emil Winter, Pittsburgh (acquired from the above)

Sale: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, January 15-17, 1942, lot 534

Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, Madison, New Jersey

Sale: Sotheby's, Parke-Bernet, New York, October 22, 1975, lot 108

Rose Faggen

Sale: Christie's, New York, May 9, 2007, lot 1

Acquired at the above sale

Georges Grappe, Catalogue du Musée Rodin, Paris, 1947, no. 61, illustration of another cast p. 141

Robert Descharnes & Jean-François Chabrun, Auguste Rodin, Lausanne, 1967, illustration of another cast, p. 124 

John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin, Philadelphia, 1976, no. 17-1, illustration of another cast p. 184

Jacques De Caso & Patricia B. Sanders, Rodin's Sculpture: A Critical Study of the Spreckels Collection (exhibition catalogue) The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 1977, no. 12, illustration of the plaster version p. 98

Raphaël Mason & Véronique Mattiussi, Rodin, Paris, 2004, illustration of another cast p. 17

This work is in very good condition. Dark brown patina. Some wear to patina consistent with age. Tiny loss to patina in child's right elbow and a shallow scratch under his left, otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Conceived in 1885, La Jeune mère et l'enfant captures a tender exchange between mother and child. This sculpture is related to the bas-relief La Femme et l'Amour, which decorates the left pilaster of Rodin's seminal work, Porte de l'Enfer. The present work illustrates Rodin's vision of maternal love amongst other themes inspired by Dante: "The visions of the poet who belonged to another age awakened the artist who made them rise again to the knowledge of a thousand other gestures... and his tireless hands stretched out farther and farther beyond the world of the Florentine to ever new forms and revelations" (Rainer Maria Rilke, Rodin, London, 1946, p. 28).

The subject of mother and child played an important role in Rodin's work during this period, as he executed several groups of sculpture related to this subject, such as Jeune mère à la grotte. The variations of form and position of the woman and child reflect the artist's knowledge of the human figure and virtuosity with his materials. As Rilke writes, "Rodin lived near his work and, like the custodian of a Museum, continuously evolved from it new meanings" (ibid., p. 36). In the present sculpture, the child sits playfully on his mother's kneౠe, precariously balanced in expression and movement.