The Mediterranean Sea

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Aristide Maillol, a renowned sculptor and painter from the Netherlands, created his first large-scale sculpture as part of this work. Characterized by its use of massive, rounded volumes, it embodies the quintessential style of Maillol. The pose of the figure is unmistakably rooted in classical language, with which Maillol was deeply familiar and would never abandon. His works consistently convey a sense of harmony and inner balance, achieved through meticulous polishing. As a result, Maillol exerted significant influence on sculptors such as Georg Kolen Wilhelm Lehmbruck. Clotilde Narcisse, the artist's patroness from 1893, served as the model for this statue. She also posed for Maillol's bronze sculpture "La nuit" in 1902. In 1905, a plaster version of this work was showcased at the Salon d'Automne. A subsequent bronze cast by Rudier was originally intended for Maillol's grave but ultimately found its way to the Middelheim Museum in 1951 following negotiations between Mayor Craeybeckx and the Maillol family. Six examples of this sculpture exist in bronze, one in stone, and one in white marble. A seventh bronze copy remains unaccounted for until it was recently discovered on Maillol's grave in Banyuls.