The artist early changes his mind because this infernal group is not tragic enough for his gates and perhaps also because he did not well appreciate why a carnal love could cause such an eternal disapproval. The group is then offered separately from the Porte under the title Le Printemps which will become from 1900 L' Eternel Printemps reminding the original inspiration of the artist.
Rodin is now the artist of the erotic happiness. Le Baiser is a following to Le Printemps commissioned for the Universal Exhibition of 1889.
The plasters of Rodin are transferred in bronzes by independent workshops. From 1887 to 1894, Griffoul et Lorge edited 105 pieces by Rodin.
Four variants of the first state of Le Printemps are listed by the Comité Rodin and numbered A, B, C and D. A bronze by Griffoul et Lorge was sold for $ 1,77M including premium by Christie's on May 8, 2000. It had been commissioned by Rodin in 1892 for presenting to the statesman Eugène Spuller who did not want to own an original plaster considered as too fragile.
On March 22 in Paris (Drouot) Fraysse sells at lot 15 a bronze of Le Printemps first state type B by Griffoul et Lorge. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
The second state of Le Printemps is prepared by Rodin in 1898 to be catalogued in bronzes and marbles in several dimensions by applying the reduction and augmentation method recently developed by a collaborator of the artist, Henri Lebossé. A marble from L'Eternel Printemps was sold for $ 20.4M including premium by Sotheby's on May 9, 2016.
SOLD for € 1.96M including premium
Ce jeudi c'est #DrouotNocturne & #UnSoirUneHistoire ! L'occasion de venir observer cette magnifique oeuvre de #Rodin https://t.co/RZMHZB3ZgP pic.twitter.com/NrPOjtsnK7
— Drouot (@Drouot) February 16, 2017