Auguste Rodin

This work by Auguste Rodin depicts the joy of idealised love. A cherub and a chubby-cheeked child embrace on a bed of flowers in a tender, innocent embrace. Here, Rodin has created a work inspired by the great Baroque masters associated with Rubens. Based on an original terracotta model from 1876 (now destroyed), Idylle was created by the sculptor during his stay in Brussels between 1871 and 1877. During this time, the artist was working on the decoration of the Brussels Stock Exchange. At the same time, Rodin created small sculptures for private clients in an 18th-century style that was coming back into fashion during the Second Empire. During this period in Brussels, Rodin drew inspiration from the Flemish masters and the city’s architecture. The putti, with their slightly sulky expressions, are reminiscent of the children in the frieze of the Brussels Stock Exchange. There is also a bronze copy, probably cast in 1885 and named L’Idylle d’Ixelles in honour of this marble version.

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