Summer at The Jardin des Tuileries, Paris

myminifactory

Human: In 1905 Auguste Rodin arranged a meeting between Maillol and the German diplomat and collector Count Harry Kessler (1868-1937) at the shop of Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939). Over the next few years, Count Kessler played a significant role in advancing Maillol's career as a sculptor. In 1908 he took Maillol on an extensive tour of Greece. Maillol had already begun to draw heavily from ancient sculptural sources for his models, but chose only to apply Greek structural principles to his monumental female nudes. Summer is one of the four life-sized personifications commissioned by Russian avant-garde art collector Ivan Morozov (1871-1921) on the recommendation of Nabis artist Maurice Denis (1870-1943). The series, modeled between 1910 and 1912, included figures of Spring, Flora, and Pomona. All four were displayed in Morozov's Moscow mansion music room among panels painted by Denis. A bronze version of Summer now resides at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, while another is believed to have been cast for Maillol himself and may be earlier than the Morozov bronze. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory that aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe available for free public access. Scan the World is an open-source community effort; if you have interesting items nearby and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can assist.