Previously uncast Rodin sculpture to go on auction

(MENAFN- AFP) A previously uncast sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin, known for works such as "The Kiss" and "The Thinker", is expected to fetch up to one million euros at auction in June, Christie's said Tuesday.

The sculpture, "Aphrodite", which shows the nude goddess of love with her arms elegantly stretched above her head, was created by Rodin in 1913 for a play in Paris of the same name.

However at the time the sculpture, a much larger version of an older image of Aphrodite which featured in Rodin's monumental "Gates of Hell", was cast only in plaster for its appearance on stage.

"We are pleased to unveil a previously unseen work. Conceived in 1913 for a play, this sculpture was never cast as the moulds containing the upper part of the arms were only found very recently," said Pierre Martin-Vivier of the Christie's auction house said in a statement.

It was in 2014, during research into Rodin's donations to the state that the museum housing the artist's work uncovered the complete mould for the sculpture.

Now cast in bronze, measuring 2.15 metres high, Aphrodite has been valued at between 834,000 - 1,1 million euros ($930,000-$1.2 million).

The sculpture will go on auction in London on June 23.