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Auguste RODIN (Paris 1840 - Meudon 1917)
Enguerande after Ev…
See original version (French)
24
-
Auguste RODIN (Paris 1840 - Meudon 1917)
Enguerande after Ev…
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Auguste RODIN (Paris 1840 - Meudon 1917)
Enguerande after Eve
Heliogravure on paper
15 x 10.2 cm per sheet and 11.3 x 6.4 cm by the bowl
Signed lower right A. Rodin in the plate
We would like to thank Mrs Christina Buley-Uribe for confirming the authenticity of this work. A certificate of inclusion in the Catalogue raisonné, currently in preparation, will be given to the buyer.
In 1884, the writer Émile Bergerat published a deluxe edition of his play Enguerrande. The story depicts the shipwreck of the Corsican queen, Enguerrande, who is saved by a fisherman after the tragedy at sea. Bergerat wanted to enrich this edition with a large number of illustrations, and asked Auguste Rodin to create two drawings to accompany the work. This commission marked a decisive moment in the artist's career, as it was his first work in the field of editorial illustration.
It was at this time that Rodin developed a growing interest in the possibilities of graphically transposing his sculptural work. In this context, he deliberately abandoned the free compositions inspired by Dante - often executed with a brush in a vein close to painting - in favour of a more incisive graphic language, based on pen drawings based on his own plastic creations. For Enguerrande, he chose to work from the figure of Eve conceived for La Porte de l'Enfer.
On 11 May 1884, Bergerat sent the sculptor the following request:
"Will you be kind enough to keep your promise and make me two beautiful drawings for my poem. I'm going to publish it in a magnificent edition, and I need it to be reproduced quickly".
A few days later, the project seemed to be definitively decided and Bergerat announced to the publisher that the artist would participate in the form of "2 compositions".
On 20 May, after receiving the first drawing, the writer expressed his enthusiasm in a new letter to Rodin:
"Rodinopolis! The drawing is superb, rembrandtesque and of a beautiful effect. Perhaps a little small if it has to be reduced. Thank you very much".
The drawing referred to in this correspondence corresponds to the original now in a private collection (fig. 1), which Bergerat nevertheless asked the artist to reproduce at a later date.
On 30 July, Bergerat returned to the question of the illustration and sent Rodin the publisher's reservations:
"Here are the proofs of your drawings. They came out well, and you should be satisfied. But the publisher writes me here that the one standing up is going to make the middle-class subscribers shout. I think you should listen to this man. Couldn't you draw a woman for the scene in the cabin (summary of shapes: 20 years old, in the style of Botticelli for example). There's no point in using a black background. This is a statuary drawing, not a painter's drawing, and the shape of the contours is what interests your hand. It would be very kind of you to do this now, because we are moving fast and hard, and you have to be ready. Perhaps you are less busy than you were".
In the end, the composition depicting Eve-Enguerrande was not chosen for the definitive publication of the work. It did, however, give rise to several trial prints in preparation for the luxury edition. One of these prints, heavily inked, is now in the Musée Rodin (fig. 2), while another, considerably lighter, corresponds to the one shown here (fig. 3). This second print (fig. 3) corresponds to the lot we will be offering for sale on 30 June 2026.
To meet the expectations of both the commissioner and the publisher Frinzine Klein et Cie, Rodin finally produced a new version of Enguerrande standing (fig. 4). In this second composition, the elements of the interior decoration of the fisherman's hut - in particular the wooden framework, the chair and the door handle - appear more legible, reflecting a desire to adapt to the narrative and editorial requirements of the publication.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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