Torso d’Adèle

The Torso of Adèle (so called after the presumed model, Adèle Abruzzesi), was first modelled in plaster in 1878–84, and conceived for Rodin’s monumental Gates of Hell, in which it appears, slightly modified, in the upper left corner. The torso was reused, with further additions, in Eternal Springtime (1884).

Original bronze versions were cast by both Alexis Rudier, and posthumously under the auspices of the Musée Rodin by Georges Rudier.

The version offered here is from the Nelson Rockefeller Collection, a mid-20th century undertaking in which Rockefeller, an avid collector and patron, had moulds made from casts taken of works in his own private art collection, and created high-quality reproductions in small numbered batches, often sold through galleries and upscale outlets like Saks Fifth Avenue. The standards of production were incredibly high, and the finished products are often indistinguishable from the ‘original’, but for foundry marks.