Bather by Rodin Statue. As an artist who adored women, because he adored nature, Rodin turned to women as his main subject of observation. He never started from predetermined subjects but chose, depending on the young women who posed for him, the postures likely to give the body the most expression. I do not create, he said, I see and it is because I see that I am capable of making. This is why he did not burden himself with heads or feet or hands. And although during the first part of his career, he was obliged to earn his living by producing sensual figures, which often echoed 18th century art, to please his art patrons, after about 1895 he gradually eliminated all that he considered to be trivial or useless. The study of sculpture taught him that the more a form is condensed the more it acquires power. Life is in the contours, the soul of the sculpture is in the piece. This is a reproduction of a bronze sculpture made in 1885, based on the kneeling Faun in the Tympanum from The Gates Of Hell, a decorative door for the future Museum of Decorative Arts (Musee des Beaux Arts), to be decorated with sculptures inspired by The Divine Comedy of Dante.

Size: 8"H (20cm)

Weight: 4 lbs

Material: Cultured Marble

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Museum Reproductions Information:

History of Art Reproductions: As far as we know, the history of art reproductions takes us back to Imperial Rome where bronze and marble reproductions of Greek masterpieces served as decoration for lavish Roman Villas and Gardens. The art of casting is thousands of years old: Terracotta’s, Bronzes and ancient glass were cast from molds. Closer to our time in the mid 18th century coinciding with the search for new artistic styles which took inspiration from the roots of classic art (neoclassicism) and the discovery of Herculaneum in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748, archaeological reproductions reappeared all over Europe. As a result of French expeditions to Egypt during the nineteenth century, a casting facility was set up next to the Louvre Museum where many important archaeological pieces from ancient Egypt were reproduced. Following the example of the Louvre, other leading European museums began to reproduce some of the masterpieces in their collections thus initiating a trend that continues until today.

Art Reproduction Craftsmanship: For the making of art reproductions, masterpieces have been chosen from the best museums all over the world, The Louvre, The British Museum, The National Museum of Athens, The Egyptian Museum Cairo, The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. We only use materials and techniques that can achieve the best quality in reproducing original works of art to obtain very fine pieces, up to the last detail. Our sculptures are cast in a variety of mediums: Bonded Stone, Polyresins, and Bronze. The finish of each reproduction, is always hand-made and showing craftsmanship and historical sense, is the work of an artisan. It is the task to present to the people of today the legacy of those ancient civilizations with all the beauty and mystery of our ancestors again in front of our eyes and at the reach of our hands. There is several steps that must be taken before a museum reproduction sculpture can be made. Most of our items are original artworks created by our sculptors, carved out of clay, stone, or wood. Once the original is carved, a mold is made, usually out of silicon. Crushed stone in a liquid resin medium is poured into a silicon mold where it solidifies into a hard stone that reproduces all the detail and texture of the original. All the finishes are done by hand. Many finishes include color detailing, a labor intensive process where colors are applied with small brushes by our skilled artisans.