How I Got to Know Rodin

By Sharon Weatherall

Can a newly launched new web site help to authenticate a 130 year old treasure? It will stir up some interest and that's one thing I am sure about.
 
Working on the Villeneuve Statue project has been a highlight in my life and something I am very passionate about. It has also helped me become incredibly knowledgeable about French Sculptor Auguste Rodin – famous for his renowned works ‘The Kiss’, ‘The Thinker’, ‘The Gates of Hell’ and many more exotic pieces. 

During the late 1800’s Rodin redesigned sculpture in his era and for future generations. His work demonstrates a crucial transition between the European academic art of the 18th and 19th centuries and the more conceptual early modern movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.   

The project consists of authenticating a rare bronze-over-plaster female believed by my partners and I, to have been created in Rodin Studio somewhere around 1880. At that time the open-minded Rodin was experimenting in a process called ‘Galvano Plastique’ - also known as ‘electroplating’. Our research has proven this was the exact process and materials used to create the Villeneuve Statue.

The one-third scale nude has been in Neville Hale’s family since 1886 when she came into the hands of his great grandfather, a London goldsmith named Theodore Villeneuve. He accepted the ornate figure as ‘payment of a debt’ and it has remained in the care of his descendants ever since - his great-grandson being the fourth custodian. Sadly Neville passed away in 2010 without seeing the project to completion however he died leaving the authentication process of his rare treasure in competent hands. John Bigelow (the fifth custodian of the statue) and myself, continue working towards this end. We recently completed and launched a web site: www.exiled-rodin.com to make our extensive research public.

The Villeneuve Statue project has been an exciting journey which has taken me to the far corners of the world including trips to Paris France and London England to follow the creative history of Rodin. The research has been very motivating and we now have an impressive photo collection of the master’s works. 

I am forever indebted to Neville who became a close friend and mentor during the near decade we spent working together on this project. It involved many hours of reading, computer writing, emailing letters and seeking out possible connections that would help us. For several years Neville and I got together weekly to compare notes, share new information and strategies. During my travels, we communicated daily through email.

Neville Hale and I met by chance at an antiques road show when I was working as a reporter/photographer. The sleek, black patina statue he was holding caught my eye. When he told me it was a family heirloom, I was interested in writing a story. At the time Neville had only begun his fated journey into the past. As for me, I had never seen anything so unique – her poise and beauty left me in awe.

My story made front page of a local newspaper and generated many comments, but it was nearly two years before I heard from Neville asking permission to use my picture in a book he had written entitled ‘The Rodin Quest’. When it was published Neville contacted me again to write a review for him and I agreed, more than pleased to be involved.

During that meeting I became intrigued by the statue’s history while Neville’s enthusiasm won me over. I wanted to know more. The research he had managed to gather on his family roots and about his “Little Rodin” made so much sense. Ironically the mysterious lady had stood in silence for over 120 years remaining well protected by her guardians. Boasting solid provenance in the Villeneuve family, Neville had also discovered the heirloom was made of materials used by Rodin Studio during the 1880’s and bore strong resemblance to Rodin works of that era. We both knew there was much more to her than met the eye – but proving it would be another story.

During the next six years I became the aging senior’s helping hands and legs in the project, and his wings by travelling abroad to collect information and photographs that expanded our research file and evidence. Meeting John Bigelow and his family, has been a highlight in this adventure and since Neville’s untimely demise, John and I have become dedicated to proving the origin of the Villeneuve Statue.

In dealing with the project over the years ‘our team’ experienced rejection, disappointment and dead ends in some cases, while other leads brought amazing results, fresh inspiration and new direction in helping us connect loose threads. Remaining optimistic, John and I continue to find strength and motivation in the endless research Neville compiled. His legacy speaks for itself and his quest has become ours. In our work we have touched on the intimate love affair between Rodin and his student Camille Claudel – a talented sculptor in her own right and the sorrowful challenges she endured.  Falling prey to his influence led to her ultimate destruction in career and life itself. There is a portion of the web site dedicated to this sad story and details about why we think the young model of the Villeneuve Statue was in fact Camille herself.

Our work is still not done. The goal of www.exiled-rodin.com  is to draw the attention of others who love the work of Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel. Web designer - Dalene Smith, has helped us to achieve this. We are revealing crucial information to try and gain support for this exclusive and believable story. In doing so, we hope to solve it. We want to hear from art experts, museum authorities and Rodin collectors, challenging them to share their views. Please enjoy the web site and share our passion to authenticate the Villeneuve Statue.  One way or another we’ll find out exactly who she is.