PC: Guillaume Souvant
The Comité Rodin found that the sculpture had disappeared after being sold at an auction in 1906. The Comité Rodin confirmed the sculpture’s authenticity after a six-week probe. The Musée Rodin also states, as reported by the BBC, that the sculptor created other versions of the figure after it was positively received. The family’s marble piece is one of the works confirmed by the Comité Rodin following its investigation.
The family approached the French auctioneer Aymeric Rouillac, and he and his team then spent months investigating the origins of the piece, according to BBC News. Mr Rouillac described the piece as an “extremely rare” find. BBC News reports that “Despair” is a work by Rodin from 1892. He said: “We have rediscovered it. “Despair” was originally modelled by Rodin as part of his series of figures for The Gates of Hell. The Musée Rodin says that the figure is a depiction of sorrow.
In March, Mr Rouillac brought the sculpture to the Comité Rodin, a research group dedicated to studying the works of Rodin. Mr Rouillac spoke about the discovery to the AFP news agency. The family’s sculpture was an original piece.
The work was then put up for auction and sold on Monday.