RODIN (Auguste). - Lot 275

RODIN (Auguste). Born in Paris. 1840–1917. French sculptor. Autograph letter signed “Aug. Rodin” to Louis Barthou. Paris, December 30, 1904. 1 page, in-8. Letter postmarked to his Paris address. The sculptor thanks his correspondent for his contribution to the Comité du Penseur: …It is a double honor for me to receive such appreciation from an eminent master…Auguste Rodin began work on his *Thinker* in the 1880s, and it was in 1888, in Copenhagen, that an initial plaster version measuring 71.5 cm in height was exhibited. The first bronze version was completed in 1902. Thanks to the support of numerous prominent figures (notably Cézanne) and the creation of a support committee, the statue became the property of the City of Paris and was installed at the Place du Panthéon. In 1922, it was moved to the Hôtel Biron (now the Rodin Museum) in Paris’s 7th arrondissement. Louis Barthou (1862–1934) was a French lawyer and politician. He served, among other roles, as Minister of the Interior (1896), Minister of Justice (1909–1913), President of the Council (1913), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1917 and again in 1934).