Sphinx Gm-31363101

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) In ancient mythology, the sphinx embodies an amalgam of human, lion, and hawk body parts. The subject of this watercolor by Auguste Rodin, titled Sphinx, doesn't literally represent such a beast. Instead, the artist drew a young woman, who is standing frontally, with her arms folded.

Rodin made this drawing late in his life, during a period of prodigious output. As is common in those drawings, sketchy pentimento lines appear to suggest a figure in motion. Here, though, the scribbly pencil marks may indicate that the model was partially clothed, because of the artist's inscription, "noir draperie" (black drapery).

Rodin usually sketched his models without taking his eyes off the figure or looking down at the sheet of paper. In this case, the artist first incised the figure's silhouette--notably the hips and elbows--before using the pencil or the brush. Although the figure appears hastily sketched, the drawing as a whole reflects Rodin's considerable abilities as a draftsman. Details, such as the model's perfectly turned right ankle and knee, belie his considerable skills of observation. Carefully applied watercolor washes reveal Rodin's mastery of technique.

Like many nineteenth-century artists, Rodin was interested in exotic subjects. Subtle clues, such as sand beneath the woman's feet and a palm tree on the horizon imply that, like the Great Sphinx of Giza, this woman is set in a time-forgotten, romanticized place. Rodin's title implies on a metaphorical level that she--or "woman" more generally--is like the sphinx, an enigmatic creature.

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Our Giclée Prints are printed here in Switzerland, one at a time, on heavy matte German art paper using the finest 12-color Canon archival inks. Some images are panoramic or tall and narrow—please select the 18" x 36" format for these.

Our Premium Museum Frame in Black is custom-made in Lugano, Switzerland, using natural wood moulding in a matte black satin finish. Each includes thick, hand-cut white mat boards and Plexiglass glazing. We tailor and print each image to fit its specific ratio and dimensions within our custom-made frames. The hand-cut mats are extra thick. Each bespoke museum frame ships in a custom box. Rush shipping is available for projects with tight deadlines—this is our specialty, and you will not be disappointed.

Our Antiqued Museum Frame in Gold is a high-quality frame made of solid wood, featuring traditional 19th-century cast plaster moulded details and closed corners. These frames are works of art in themselves, each with a unique patina. The hand-rubbed corners and gold finish evoke the elegance of times past. Your selected image is printed on German art paper with archival inks and mounted to quality art board within the frame. Plexiglass is added for print protection and the back is covered with Kraft paper and a hanger is supplied ready to hang..

Our Stretched Canvas prints are hand-stretched over 1.25" thick pine bars and printed with archival inks on a cotton-poly matte finish canvas. These are best-in-industry Swiss-quality canvases, hand-coated for UV protection.

Wall Murals are printed on a matte-finish, self-adhesive poly/fabric material that mounts easily and is ideal for smooth wall surfaces.

Our Note Cards are amazing—each is printed individually on 100% cotton art paper, comes with a kraft envelope, and is individually sleeved. (Image is scaled to fit the format.)

All of our images are digitized from the original negative or print and printed by our master printer to museum standards.

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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.