Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

The Eternal Springtime by Auguste Rodin

The Eternal Springtime is a sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin, created alongside the project The Gates of Hell. It was originally conceived as one of the representations of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta, but was never included because the lovers’ feeling of happiness did not suit the theme. The woman’s torso was based on the arched pose of the Torso of Adele, modeled on the Italian model Adele Abruzzesi. The work is often associated with Rodin’s relationship with Camille Claudel. In contrast to The Kiss, the man dominates the composition, holding his arched lover in a passionate embrace. The sculpture was reproduced several times in bronze and marble, and one marble version later set an auction record of $20 million. A marble version with a tree trunk for the man’s arm rests is in the Museo Soumaya.

The Eternal Springtime bronze sculpture of a man and woman embracing on a rocky base.
Auguste Rodin\'s The Eternal Springtime shown as a bronze figure group of two nude lovers in an embrace.
May 2013 © · CC0
The Eternal Springtime bronze sculpture of a nude man embracing a kneeling nude woman on a rocky base.
The Eternal Springtime, a bronze sculpture showing an embracing nude male and kneeling female figure.
© Auguste Rodin (France, 1840-1917) · Public domain
The Eternal Springtime sculpture by Auguste Rodin showing two nude figures in an embrace on a rough-textured base.
Auguste Rodin’s The Eternal Springtime depicts two nude figures embraced atop a rough base.
1915 © · No restrictions
The Eternal Springtime bronze sculpture of a man embracing a woman, displayed on a pedestal in a museum gallery.
The Eternal Springtime, a bronze sculpture of an embracing couple, displayed in a museum gallery.
May 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Eternal Springtime marble sculpture of a nude man and woman in an intimate embrace
The Eternal Springtime depicts a nude man and woman locked in an intimate embrace on a rough stone base.
© · Public domain

Identification

TitleThe Eternal Springtime
Original titleL'Éternel Printemps
Alternative titlesLa Eterna Primavera; A Eterna Primavera; L'eterna primavera; Céfiro y la tierra; Juventud; Ideal
TypeSculpture

Historical context

Datec. 1884
Created in context ofThe Gates of Hell
Original intended subjectPaolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta
Reason not included in The Gates of HellThe happiness expressed by the lovers was considered unsuitable for the theme of Dante's Inferno

Creator

Artist nationalityFrench
ArtistAuguste Rodin

Discovery and provenance

SubjectA couple of lovers kissing
Model for female figureAdele Abruzzesi
Model for male figureLou Tellegen
Source of female torsoThe Torso of Adele (1882), shown in the upper left corner of the tympanum of The Gates of Hell
Relationship to Camille ClaudelThe sculpture's creation coincided with Rodin's romantic relationship with Camille Claudel; Reine-Marie Paris suggested that traces of Claudel may be discernible in the female figure

Physical characteristics

CompositionThe man dominates the composition by supporting his lover's arched body
AppearanceThe figures are shown as if seen through twilight or insufficient evening light
Surface treatmentThe marble figures are not polished, and the marble block is left rough and unworked at the bottom and on the sides

Materials

MaterialBronze; marble
PatinaBlack patina

Technique

Marble version modificationsRodin added a trunk for the man's arm to rest on, and the man's right foot rests on a rock
VersioningProduced in multiple bronze casts in four sizes and in six marble versions, with authorial copies also made in plaster

Location and ownership

Original cast statusRare 19th-century original cast in the permanent collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
FoundryAlexis Rudier Foundry
Notable example versionA marble version, cast in 1898 at the Alexis Rudier Foundry, is in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and is one of Rodin's few originals probably produced directly by him
Other owners/provenanceOne marble version came from the Eliseevs' nationalized collection and was transferred to the museum in 1923
Original cast acquisitionPurchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in Paris in 1913 from the sale of Paul Arthur Chéramy's personal collection
Current museum holding another versionMuseum of Art, Besançon
Current museum holding a version with trunkMuseo Soumaya, Mexico City
Current museum holding a marble versionHermitage Museum
Current museum holding a marble versionNational Museum of Decorative Arts, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Current museum holding an original castCalouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon

History and restoration

ExhibitionThe Salon of the Société des Artistes Français in 1898
ReceptionThe work was a major success
Auction recordA marble version sold at auction in May 2016 for US$20 million, then a record price
Related versionsA version at the Hermitage is marble and was bought when the palace was a private residence around 1911

Significance

Interpretive noteThe work is associated with love and springtime and was probably inspired by Rodin's passionate relationship with Camille Claudel, which began in 1883 and lasted about ten years