The Death of Adonis

According to Greek mythology, the goddess Aphrodite fell passionately in love with the beautiful youth Adonis. When he was killed in a hunting accident, Aphrodite's grief was so overwhelming that the gods allowed Adonis to come back to earth for six months each year and then return to Hades. Rodin, wishing to make his work easily available, relied on studio assistants to create bronze or marble sculptures from his clay models. A plaster cast of this piece, dating from before 1888, was included in an exhibition held by Rodin in Paris in 1900.