Study for the Secret

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

Starting with The Shades, an assemblage of three identical figures placed at the top of The Gates of Hell before 1886, fragmentation and multiplication guided Auguste Rodin in his search for new rhythms. 

The Cathedral of 1908 is an assemblage of two right hands shaping the void into a Gothic arch. The two hands of the marble version of the Secret (1909), also right hands, enclose a casket, illustrating the title of the work through a traditional iconographic reference. But the starting point for The Secret is a much smaller study of a pair of delicate hands moving freely, which is more like a dance figure without any symbolic resonance.

Each reproduction requires great expertise   and draws on the skills of the Rodin Museum's teams and craftsmen. It is from the official moulds from the museum's collections that the most accurate resin reproductions are made. They are then hand-patinated to give it the appearance of bronze, plaster or marble.

Finally, they are validated and checked by the Musée Rodin’s curators to ensure that they comply with moral rights.

Reproductions come with an explanatory note about the history of the work.

The seal and the mention “Reproduction - Musée Rodin” guarantee the quality and origin of the sculpture reproduction.