Bronze with black green patina. Signature of the artist on the lower left rear, along with the barely legible stamp “Réduction Mécanique / A. Collas Breveté”. An illegible foundry mark on the edge of the back, along with the later inscription “Reproduction”. 24.1 x 15.2 x 16.5 cm.
Reproduction based on a bronze by Auguste Rodin, produced using the casting process. Following consultation with the Comité Auguste Rodin, Paris, this was officially indicated on the sculpture. [EH].

• Rodin is the most significant artistic figure in late 19th-century sculpting and, at the same time, the founder of modern sculpture.
• Rodin’s lovers are icons of modern sculpture.
• With his powerful and sensitive works, Rodin is considered one of the most outstanding sculptors in art history.
We are grateful to the Comité Auguste Rodin, Paris, for its expert advice.

Private collection, Baden-Württemberg

Rodin’s “The Kiss,” one of his most famous bronzes, originates from the “Gates of Hell” series, commissioned by the French government in 1880 for the planned Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris. The depiction of a naked couple embracing tightly had a shocking effect in Rodin’s time. For the first time in the history of sculpture, the artist sought no justification—such as mythology—for this subject, but instead promoted it as a symbol of unadulterated and primal nature. Even though “The Kiss” has lost this provocative effect, viewers today are still moved by the depiction of sexual play. Rodin contrasts the muscular but passive man with the soft but active woman. Through their intertwined posture, they express movement and passion.

In good condition. Minimally rubbed in places, lower left with a small scratch.