Miss Eve Fairfax
Bust
ca. 1904-1905 (made)
ca. 1904-1905 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
From 1900 onwards Rodin frequently received commissions for portrait busts of men and women who were prominent in political and artistic circles. This portrait was commissioned by Ernest Beckett, later Lord Grimthorpe, who had been introduced to Rodin by the British sculptor John Tweed and who became one of Rodin's earliest admirers in Britain. Eve Fairfax (1871-1978) was briefly engaged to Beckett and she sat for Rodin several times during the period 1901-9.
Their meetings and correspondence brought Rodin to a closer, more personal knowledge of his sitter. He admired her cool Englishness and what lay beneath her calm exterior, describing her as 'A Diana and a satyr in one'. He also said, referring to her, 'How flat chested they are. Oh, those planes and the bony structure of these English women.'
This bronze appears to have been cast from a clay or plaster study. The marble version given to Eve Fairfax by Rodin is now in the Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa.
Their meetings and correspondence brought Rodin to a closer, more personal knowledge of his sitter. He admired her cool Englishness and what lay beneath her calm exterior, describing her as 'A Diana and a satyr in one'. He also said, referring to her, 'How flat chested they are. Oh, those planes and the bony structure of these English women.'
This bronze appears to have been cast from a clay or plaster study. The marble version given to Eve Fairfax by Rodin is now in the Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Miss Eve Fairfax |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze |
| Brief description | Bust, bronze, 'Miss Eve Fairfax' by Auguste Rodin, French, about 1904-5 |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by Rodin in November 1914 |
| Object history | Miss Fairfax was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Fairfax of the Grenadier Guards. The portrait was commissioned by Ernest Grimthorpe and this bronze appears to have been cast from the original life study. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | From 1900 onwards Rodin frequently received commissions for portrait busts of men and women who were prominent in political and artistic circles. This portrait was commissioned by Ernest Beckett, later Lord Grimthorpe, who had been introduced to Rodin by the British sculptor John Tweed and who became one of Rodin's earliest admirers in Britain. Eve Fairfax (1871-1978) was briefly engaged to Beckett and she sat for Rodin several times during the period 1901-9. Their meetings and correspondence brought Rodin to a closer, more personal knowledge of his sitter. He admired her cool Englishness and what lay beneath her calm exterior, describing her as 'A Diana and a satyr in one'. He also said, referring to her, 'How flat chested they are. Oh, those planes and the bony structure of these English women.' This bronze appears to have been cast from a clay or plaster study. The marble version given to Eve Fairfax by Rodin is now in the Johannesburg Art Gallery, South Africa. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.44-1914 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 26, 2002 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
