The Age of Bronze

After Auguste Rodin - Rockefeller Bronze

The Age of Bronze

After Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection

Renaissance Bronze Company, New York

United States, 1979

Bronze with black-brown-green patina

Edition 36 of 150

Height: 41 inches

A commanding bronze after Auguste Rodin's celebrated The Age of Bronze, produced in 1979 by Renaissance Bronze Company of New York for the Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection.

Number 36 from a limited edition of 150, this finely modeled sculpture captures the remarkable naturalism, expressive power, and anatomical sophistication that established Rodin as one of the defining sculptors of the modern era.

The standing male figure, with one arm raised toward his head and the other extended downward, conveys a moment of awakening. Its subtly shifting posture, muscular definition, and contemplative expression reveal Rodin's extraordinary ability to communicate human emotion through the physical form.

The sculpture retains a richly nuanced black-brown-green patina that emphasizes the interplay of light and shadow across the figure's carefully modeled surface. Standing 41 inches tall and presented on its original black pedestal, the work possesses a monumental presence while remaining suitable for a distinguished residential interior, private collection, library, or architectural setting.

Rodin and The Age of Bronze

Rodin conceived The Age of Bronze in the 1870s, using the Belgian soldier Auguste Neyt as his model. First exhibited in 1877, the sculpture marked a pivotal moment in the artist's career.

Its remarkable anatomical realism provoked controversy, with critics questioning whether Rodin had cast the figure directly from a living model. Rodin defended his working methods, and the sculpture eventually secured recognition as a major achievement in modern sculpture.

Unlike conventional academic representations of the heroic male nude, The Age of Bronze presents the human figure without identifying attributes or an explicit narrative. Its expressive power emerges from the body itself, inviting the viewer to consider the relationship between physical presence and inner experience.

The work's enduring importance lies in Rodin's ability to transform a classical subject into an intensely human and psychologically compelling sculpture.

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection

Nelson A. Rockefeller was a prominent American art collector whose interests encompassed classical, modern, and contemporary sculpture.

Through The Nelson Rockefeller Collection, Inc., selected sculptural masterpieces were reproduced in limited editions, making important works of art available to a wider circle of collectors.

This example of The Age of Bronze was produced by Renaissance Bronze Company, New York, in 1979, as part of the Rockefeller Collection's limited edition of 150 individually numbered bronzes.

The present sculpture is identified as number 36 of 150.

Edition Marks & Archival Documentation

The sculpture bears identifying marks associated with the Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection and is recorded in Maison Palm Beach's inventory as signed NR and numbered 36/150.

An archival catalog issued by The Nelson Rockefeller Collection, Inc. documents the Rockefeller edition of The Age of Bronze, after Auguste Rodin, and identifies the work as a limited edition of 150 individually numbered bronzes.

Photographs of the sculpture's physical markings, together with the archival catalog reference, provide supporting documentation of the present example's edition identification and its association with the Rockefeller Collection.

The catalog documentation and identifying marks distinguish this example as a numbered bronze from the 1979 Rockefeller edition, rather than a lifetime cast produced under Rodin's supervision.

Literature / Archival Reference: The Nelson Rockefeller Collection, Inc., archival catalog, entry for The Age of Bronze, after Auguste Rodin.

Price: $60,000

Original black pedestal included

For additional photographs, documentation, or assistance with placement in a residential or design project, please contact Maison Palm Beach.

Related Work: The Thinker — After Auguste Rodin

Also from the 1979 Rockefeller Collection edition, The Thinker is numbered 15/150 and bears the Renaissance Bronze Corp. foundry stamp. Together, the two works offer a compelling look at Rodin’s most celebrated models as interpreted in this documented late-20th-century edition.

Related Journal: Rockefeller’s Rodin: Living with Genius