Jo Davidson (American, 1883-1952) The couple... Lot 114

Jo Davidson (American, 1883-1952) The couple Marble. Height 115 Width 50 Depth 40 cm. (slight chip in the woman's hair) Provenance: former collection of the artist, at the Bécheron manor in Saché. Jo Davidson. A marble sculpture of a couple. Auction by appointment. Visit in Touraine by prior appointment on 02 47 61 22 22. Jo Davidson's "Couple" is an original work, depicting a man and a woman embracing, their legs sunk thigh-high into a block of rough marble. The homage to Camille Claudel is striking. Indeed, during the summers of 1890 to 1892, the banks of the Indre were visited by Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin, before Davidson, who took up residence at the Château de l'Islette in Azay-le-Rideau. It was here that Claudel draped La Valse, a fusion of two bodies in motion, originally nude, passionately embracing. Jo Davidson's couple pay homage to this waltz. Their faces sink and disappear in a gentle embrace. If Camille Claudel's bodies seem to embrace in a fleeting, unstable equilibrium, Davidson's, imprisoned in stone, embody an unchanging state, probably a reflection of his undying love for his wife Yvonne de Kerstrart.