Bill D -

That particular Rodin is quite exceptional, but - to quote from the L.A. County Museum of Art that owns one of the copies:

"The title of this bronze refers to a fifteenth-century ballad by the French poet François Villon, in which an old woman laments her lost youth and beauty. Rodin did not initially intend to illustrate this specific poem; he also exhibited other versions of the sculpture under the titles Old Courtesan, The Old Woman and Winter, and Dried-Up Springs."

Most of the other "originals" (I think I've located 5?) of this particular one have "assumed" the "Helmet Makers Wife" name, and it's pretty much impossible to identify a specific one as to provenance, etc. Pretty much mass-produced art. Of course, this doesn't deny that this one is a beautiful piece.

I find it difficult to see much difference in "artness" between Rodin's "own" work (the ones he took full credit for) and the few he allowed Claudel to claim. (She's one of the few associated with Rodin who actually did get her own name on some.) The Rodin Museum (Paris branch) does identify a few of the artists who actually did his work, but with little information on which artist and which work go together.

I'm afraid Modigliani and El Greco don't impress me all that much, although I will go along with you on Courbet and certainly on Rembrandt.

For sculpture, I still like the famous one by "Alexandros, son of Menides, citizen of Antioch." quite a lot. Even despite the damage.

John