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Lot Essay
One of the most tragic characters in Rodin's oeuvre is Danaïde, one of the daughters of Danaus, the King of Argos. According to Ovid's version of the myth, Danaïde was forced to draw water from leaking vessels in Hades as punishment for murdering her husband on their wedding night. Closely related to Andromeda, also executed in 1885, the composition was originally intended for La Port de l'Enfer, but was not incorporated into the final version.
Danaïde is a powerful and erotic figural composition, her tightly-curled position highlighting the sensuous curves of her body which seem to melt into the rocky surface. Rodin aptly captures Danaïde's moment of despair and loneliness, her body limp and exhausted by her futile task. Particularly notable is Rodin's mastery of surface textures, the smooth surface of her body strongly contrasting with the unfinished, craggy surface of the rock-like base. Another innovation is the treatment of her long hair which imitates the flowing water from the vessels on the other side of the sculpture. Rodin's faint signature, barely visible within the crevices of the base, remains from his original marble version.
Danaïde is a powerful and erotic figural composition, her tightly-curled position highlighting the sensuous curves of her body which seem to melt into the rocky surface. Rodin aptly captures Danaïde's moment of despair and loneliness, her body limp and exhausted by her futile task. Particularly notable is Rodin's mastery of surface textures, the smooth surface of her body strongly contrasting with the unfinished, craggy surface of the rock-like base. Another innovation is the treatment of her long hair which imitates the flowing water from the vessels on the other side of the sculpture. Rodin's faint signature, barely visible within the crevices of the base, remains from his original marble version.