Auction: “Despair,” an “extremely rare” marble by Rodin sold for 860,000 euros

It has exceeded the expectations of the Rouillac auction house. A small marble sculpture by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, discovered by chance between Sologne and Berry, was sold for 860,000 euros at a sale held this weekend at the Château de Villandry (Indre-et-Loire).

Described as an "extremely rare marble" by Aymeric Rouillac, one of the auctioneers organizing this sale, "Le Désespoir", created around 1892, remained unknown for a long time to its French owners, who thought it was a copy.

A variation of the famous Gates of Hell, the marble depicts a seated woman, curled up on herself and holding her foot. The white marble sculpture, which measures 28.5 cm in height, had been priced at 500,000 euros.

The discovery was made by customers who "came for something completely different" and thought that the sculpture, which had long stood on the piano next to family photos, was "a fake," Aymeric Rouillac told AFP in May.

For several months, the auctioneer, along with his teams and specialists, first conducted a genealogical investigation of the family. With promising results, Aymeric Rouillac presented the marble to the Rodin Committee in March and received confirmation of the authenticity of "Despair" a month and a half later.

The committee confirmed that this marble "had already been auctioned in 1906 and then disappeared from circulation. So we found it," Aymeric Rouillac said.