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Lot Essay
Usually dated 1886, Le baiser was originally planned for La porte de l'Enfer, although the subject was conceived much earlier. A similar group of embracing lovers appears in the clay model of La porte de l'Enfer and was probably created not long after Rodin received the commission in 1880. Rodin subsequently removed Le baiser from the monument as he considered it too large for the design.
There is a clear relationship in both subject and style with L'éternel Printemps (see lot 162), which was probably modeled in 1884. The lovers are from a tale in Dante's Inferno, in which an adulterous passion consumes Francesca da Rimini and her husband's brother Paolo Malatesta. Of all the love stories in Dante, this forbidden liaison, so reminiscent of courtly love, had the greatest resonance for late 19th century readers.
There is a clear relationship in both subject and style with L'éternel Printemps (see lot 162), which was probably modeled in 1884. The lovers are from a tale in Dante's Inferno, in which an adulterous passion consumes Francesca da Rimini and her husband's brother Paolo Malatesta. Of all the love stories in Dante, this forbidden liaison, so reminiscent of courtly love, had the greatest resonance for late 19th century readers.