Medardo Rosso

(1858—1928) 

Aetas Aurea,  L’Age d’Or (The Golden  Age), 1884—1885  Wax over plaster   

16 1/2 x 15 9/16 x 9 1/2 in.  

42 x 39.5 x 24 cm.  

Signed: Rosso  

Provenance:   

Gift from Artist to his son, Francesco  (1907)  

Acquired  by Romolo  Monti from Francesco  (1919) 

Romolo Monti Family, Castiglioncello   

Pieter Coray,  Lugano  

Kent Gallery, New York   

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco   

Notes:  

Medardo  Rosso married  Giuditta  Pozzi on April 16, 1885 and their only child, Francesco,  was born on November  22nd. AETAS  AURE represents  Francesco  clasped  in his mother’s  embrace  at the age of approximately one year, and the work marked a turning point in Rosso’s development.   

According  to Margaret  Scolari  Barr (Museum  of Modern  Art Rosso Retrospective   1963),  Rosso had selected  L’Age d’Or along with 3 others  as “three of his most advanced  works”  for inclusion  in the second International Exhibition in Venice, 1887 (later to be called the Biennale).   

Exhibitions:  

Esposizione  Internazionale   Artistica,  Venice  May—October,  1887, sala XII

Exposition Universelle Internationale, Paris June 1889   

Medardo Rosso, Kunstsalon Artaria, Vienna 1905  

International Society Exhibition, New Gallery, London February 1906  

Prima Mostra  dell ‘Impressionismo,  Lyceum  Club, Florence  April 20 thru May 15, 1910 no. 53 (Petit Palais version)  

Medardo Rosso, XI Esposizione d’Arte della Citta di Venezia, Venice April 23 thru October 31, 1914  no. 4  

Prima Quadriennale d’Arte Nazionale, Medardo Rosso, Palazzo delle Exposizioni, Rome January—July,  1931 p. 150 no. 15, ill. p. 145  

The first Exhibition in America of Sculpture by Medardo Rosso Peridot Gallery, New York December  15, 1959—January 16, 1960 no. 3, reproduced. (another version)  

Monstra  di Medardo  Roddo,  Palazzo  della Permanente,  Milan January—March  1979 no. 15a (collection of Museo Rosso, Barzio)  

Medardo Rosso, Centro  Galego  de Arte Contemporanea, Santiago  de Compostella, Spain, 1996   Medardo Rosso, Kent Gallery, New York, 1997   

Literature:  

Sainte-Croix, C. de. “Medardo Rosso.” Mercure de France, March 1896, p. 386.  

Clarice, Edmond. “L’impressionisme en sculpture, Auguste Rodin et Medardo Rosso.” Paris: La Nouvelle Revue, 1901, May/June, p. 325.  

Meier-­Graefe, Juliyus.  “Entwickelungsgeschichte der modernen  Kunst.”  Stoccarda,  1904, p. 296 Campbell, Lady Colin. “In the Picture Galleried.” (exhibition review), London: The World, February 27, 1906.  

Pierard,  Louis. Un Sculpteur  impressioniste,   Medardo  Rosso. Paris, 1909, p. 4.

Seidel,  Curt. “L’arte  di Medardo  Rosso.”  Turin:  L’artista  moderno,  vol. 29, July—December  1919, reproduced  p. 295.

Soffici,  Ardengo.  Medardo  Rosso. Florence,  c. 1929 pp. 29, 43.

Cozzani,  Ettore.  “Medardo  Rosso.”  L’Erotica,  April, May, June, 1931 p. 68 plate XIX.

Papini,  Gionvanni.  Medardo  Roddo.  published  by Ulrico  Hoepli  Editore,  Milano,  1945 ill. plate XIV. Nicholson,  Ben. Burlington  Magazine,  vol. 92, October  1950 p. 227, reproduced  fig. 2.

Barbantini,  Nino. Medardo  Rosso. Milano:  Edizione  del Milrone,  1950 (Other  versions  ill. plates  14a, 14b & 15).

Chiodo,  Mario  Vianello.  “Ricordo  di Medardo  Rosso.”  La Bienalle  di Venezia no. 3, January  1951 reproduced  p. 28.

Nicodemi,  Giorgio.  Medardo  Rosso 1958-­-­ 1928. New York: Peridot  Gallery,  1959 (Another  version  ill. plate 3) p. 12 & 13.

Barr, Margaret  Scolari.  “Reviving  Medardo  Rosso.”  UArt News, January  1960, p. 38.

Caramel,  Luciano.  “La prima  attivita  di Medardo  Rosso  e I suoi rapporti  con l’ambiente  Milanese.” Arte Lombarda  vol. 6, no. 2 December 1961 p. 271.

Caramel,  Luciano.  “I ‘ritorni’  di Medardo  Rosso e due bronzi  giovanili.”  Commentari  vol. 13, no. 3, July—December 1962, p. 301.

Barr, Margaret  Scolari.  “Medardo  Rosso  and His Dutch  Patroness  Etha Fles.” Netherlands: Kunsthistorisch  Jaarboek,  vol. 13, 1962, p. 246.

Barr, Margaret  Scolari.  Medardo  Rosso.  New York: Museum  of Modern  Art, 1963, ill. pp. 27, 78.

Barr, Margaret  Scolari.  “Medardo  Rosso  and His Utracht  Friend.”  Portfolio  no. 8, Spring  1964 ill. p. 70. Caramel,  Luciano.  Musei e Gallerie di Milano-­-­-­-­Galleria d’Arte  Moderna,  Opere dell ‘Ottocento.  Milan, 1975, p. 668 no. 2224.

Mola, Paola. “Medardo  Rosso:  due lettere  a Felice Camerone.”  ES, no. 6, January—April 1977, pp. 122, 123, 125, 126.

Caramel,  Luciano.  Monstra  di Medardo  Rosso: 1858-­-­1928. Milan:  Palazzo  della Permanente,  January—March  1979. Cat. No. 15, (other  versions  illustrated  on pp. 210 and 211).

Caramel,  Luciano.  Medardo  Rosso. Casa della Cultura—Palazzo  Cuttica,  21 December  1979—31 January  1980. (a bronze  version  is illustrated  on page 22).

Caramel,  Luciano  and Peter Weirmeir.   Medardo  Rosso: 1858-­-­1928. Frankfurter  Kunstverein Steinernes  Haus am Romerberg,  Frankfurt am Main, 20 January—1 March  1984. (Another  wax version  ill. page 106).

De Sanna,  Jole. Medardo  Rosso o la Creazione  della Spazio  Moderno.  Milan:  Mursia  c. 1985. (Another  wax version  ill. plate no. 23).

Fagioli,  Marco  and Lucia Minunno.  Medardo  Rosso:Disegni  e Sculpture.  Florence:  Palazzo  Migliorati, 6—27 November  1993 Volume  2, p. 68 Cat. No. 19.

Fagioli,  Marco.  “Medardo  Rosso  tra Darwin  e Bergson:  il riso, il sorriso  e il problema  della raffigurazione   fisionomica  nella scultura  dell ‘Ottocento’.”  Accademia  degli Euteleti  di San Miniato al Tedesco,  1994, B. 61, cp. 131-164, ill plate 11 (this version).

Lista, Giovanni.  Medardo  Rosso: Destin  d’un Sculpteur.  Paris: L’Echoppe,  1994, pp. 110-­111. (architectural   plaster  installation  illustrated from Eglise  Saine-­Pierre-aux-Liens).

Caramel,  Luciano.  Medardo  Rosso. London:  South Bank Center,  1994. (Another  bronze  version  ill. p. 13) Published  on the occasion  of a retrospective   at the Whitechapel  Art Gallery,  London.

Medardo  Rosso. Spain:  Centro  Galego  de Arte Contemporanea,  Santiago  de Compostella,  1996, cat. no. 29, ill. p. 71 (color).

Other lifetime  castings  of Aetas Aurea:

I.    Wax, Musee  du Petit Palais,  Paris (Spain  #25)

II.     Wax (Black),  Private  Collection,  Italy (Spain  #28) III. Wax,  Galleria  d’Arte  Moderna,  Milan  (Spain  #27) IV.    Wax, The Nasher  Collection,  Dallas  (Spain  #24)

V.    Bronze,  Private  Collection  (Whitechapel   #18)

Bronze- Galleria  d’Arte  Moderna,  Turin (Etha Fles)

Bronze-­ Venezia-­Mestre, Coll. Dott Gino Santaga

Wax -­ Galleria  Nazionale  d’Arte Moderna,  Rome

Wax- ­Museo  Rosso,  Barzio

Wax-­ Private  Collection,  Paris (damaged)

Research  Not Yet Complete:

Inglese,  1956, 0 112

Kramer,  1959, p. 32

Piceni-­Cinotti, 1962, p. 612

Pirovano,  1968, p. 18 tav. 40

Rheims,  1972, p. 142 n. 18