Judith Sobol Notes

    1. When speaking on Rodins that are editioned, I said the French law limiting the number of casts that can be made to 12, was passed by the French Parliament in in 1968. It was in 1956.

    2. The numbering system for these casts (1/8 and I/IV) was passed by Parliament in 1968. I erred and said 1975.

    3. At about minute 46, I misspelled the name of the foundry currently used by the Musée Rodin. It is "Coubertin.”

  1. At about minute 51, I spoke about the relationship among St. John the Baptist Preaching, the Study for Torso of the Walking Man, and Monumental Torso of the Walking Man. To clarify: Study for Torso of the Walking Man relates to Saint John the Baptist Preaching. The Study… was made about 1900 when it was created by joining together a torso and the legs from St. John the Baptist Preaching of about 1880. Monumental Torso of the Walking Man relates to Narcisse rather than to Study of the Torso of the Walking Man. Go figure. Anyway, also review my confusion at minute 128: Narcisse is related to Monumental Torso of the Walking Man rather than to Despairing Adolescent.

  2. At about minute 101, I misspoke, saying Rodin made up the story of the Burghers of Calais. Wrong! The story came down through the centuries in Jean Froissart’s Chronicles (1360-65), a history book widely read in both France and Britain.

  3. When the cast is made in more than one piece and then the pieces are joined together, it is called “brazing” and I have often misspelled this as “braising."

  4. About minute 124: the two Caryatids were first made for The Gates of Hell. They were smaller in size and attached to the Gates, not free standing as I said and then questioned.

  5. The Japanese collector of Rodins: Thanks to docent Tomoko Kamiya for bringing more correct information! I hope she has shared this with you. Also see pp. 40 – 61 in Antoinette Romain’s superb The Bronzes of Rodin, which we have donated to the Museum’s library.

Thanks much!

Judith Sobol