Created in 1905, Auguste Rodin etching La Ronde, 1883-1884, according to Thorson, is a state 3 (of 3) impression, published in L'Art et les Artistes (Art and Artists). This piece is monogrammed in the lower right 'AA' in the plate.

Entitled "La Ronde," this piece depicts a group of people, clasping hands and dancing in a circular formation while others watch nearby. Rodin conveys the figures in soft, loosely sketched lines, paying special attention to the musculature of their nude forms rather than conveying their distinct facial features or garb. The group is celebratory in nature, as if they are rejoicing on a happy occasion. The figures appear to be located in curious environment, as the viewer can just make out the outlines of sloping hills in the background, relaying the impression that this mass is in a remote location outdoors.

Thorson states, "La Ronde depicts seven nude muscular men holding hands in a circle dance, observed by small groups of figures on either side, set in an open plane with mountains and a church spire sparsely indicated in the distance… If the setting in the final sketch for La Ronde were a cathedral, an idea carried into the print by the small church spire, Rodin may have considered his imagery to be the irreverent round dance of the witches' Sabbath which took place inside a cathedral in nineteenth-century examples of the subject" (p. 32).

Documented and Illustrated In:

1. Delteil, L., Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré Rude Barye Carpeaux Rodin, 1969, documented and illustrated as Rodin cat. no. 5.

2. Elsen, A. and J. Kirk T. Varnedoe, The Drawings of Rodin, 1971, listed and illustrated as no. 45 on pg. 65.

3. Thorson, Victoria, Rodin Graphics: A Catalogue Raisonné of Drypoints and Book Illustrations, listed on pages 32-37 as cat. no. V.

About the Framing:

Framed to archival museum grade conservation standards, Auguste Rodin etching La Ronde, 1883-1884 is framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.