The Rodin Quest is a fascinating work, tracing the origin of a Claudel/Rodin black statue, which has been in the author's family for generations. This is a mystery; an unsigned original masterpiece. Hale mixes factual events and fictional narrative to decipher the possible route taken by the statue from its inception to the present day.
The work is well researched, presenting plausible theories and inventive narrative to unfold a tale of tragic and beautiful proportions and cultural and historic importance.
'Rodin, almost 25 years senior to Camille and almost 20 years to Danielli, decided he had had enough. "Why don't you two get together and finish the damn thing" He then stalked off in a huff and steered clear of the experimental site. Next day he left for London. Next day, Jay Danielli seemed worried. "Camille, what do you think we should do now?" She shrugged... "He told us to finish the "damn thing" ourselves. I interpret this to be a carte blanche go-ahead to finish it any way we choose. Rodin was speaking in the plural you know. We're in this together, Jay! I feel I really have to demonstrate what I mean by making a significant modification of pose to the statue before he gets back."
"Isn't that a bit risky?" he replied nervously, "I mean you can't just start hacking up one of Rodin's works without his permission!"
Characterization, romantic interest and historical fact are all blended to offer a multilayered mystery spanning a century, from the time of the author's great grandfather, a London goldsmith, when he accepted the statue in payment of a debt; to the time of the author himself who managed to trace it back that far.
The manner in which fact and fiction are interspersed within the text maintain the reader's interest, supplying historical context and background where necessary and entertaining and informing in equal proportions.
The Rodin Quest is a compelling read, well written with solid characterization
and well structured plot fuelling the reader's interest from page one and keeping it until the final page.
ISBN: 978 1 905226 64 1
Hardback with dust jacket
156mm x 234mm
169 pages
Published: 10th November 2006
4.0 out of 5
21 votes
5 out of 5
Photographs do not reveal the full beauty of the little ‘black statue’ and I wish to hell I could see her in physical form just one more time. But no longer safe, she has been hidden from all she represents.
I met her briefly several years ago just as her owner Neville Hale embarked on a quest of no return. The statue’s unquestionable quality caught my eye in passing at a local ‘antique travelling road show’. At the time I could not fathom what a priceless treasure she was – Hale himself was only on the brink of discovering what he actually had in his hands
‘The Rodin Quest’, written by Neville Hale and published in fall of 2006 by Melrose Books in England is a must read. Using a trail of intrigue, mystery, romance and scientific technology before it’s time, the author reveals amazing discoveries surrounding the black statue. Readers will become captivated with the illusive creature and her century-old legacy. An undiscovered Rodin – how can it be possible?
.She is a chameleon and I, along with many others have been mesmerized by the details of her ever-changing image. Eyes closed her face is passive and calm but she is far from sleep. Strangely from one angle her sleek body appears to stretch, glowing in satisfaction after morning sex, or like a lazy cat stretching taut limbs in a sunny window – look again and she is a naked nymph, poised and ready to twirl in dance - carefree to the world or whoever may be watching.
So close to perfection, the bronzed statue could only have been created by God or someone with a special gift from him. Before Hale’s visit to a Royal Ontario Museum exhibition in 2001 to view the works of Auguste Rodin, he had only joked that his Black Statue was his ‘lost Rodin’. Now suddenly Hale was consumed with two simple words 'what if….’. Today there is no question in his mind she is not only the work of the master but much more.
A treasured family heirloom the ebony princess was passed down through three generations of the Villeneuve family. She made her way to Canada from England in 1955 with Hale’s mother, following the death of his father. But in opening the door to his family’s past Hale discovers another door with a separate key unlocking the secret of his petite jeune fille - she emerges with a face, name and story of her own.
Hale believes his black statue was created in the image of French sculptress Camille Claudel, Rodin’s assistant, model and lover. Their stormy ten year professional and personal relationship launched a unique collaboration resulting in two great artists creating the finest erotic works of all time – ‘The Kiss’(1886), ‘Faun and Nymph’ (The Monotour) (1886), ‘Metamorphoses of Ovid’ (1886), ‘The Eternal Idol’ (1889) and ‘Despair’ (1890). It is said the ebb and flow of their affair could almost be charted by the rise and fall of the number of erotic images Rodin produced between 1883 and1893.
The Rodin Quest documents Hale’s incredible investigation to prove the statue is a rare and original ‘Rodin/Claudel resulting in the early 1880’s from the development of ‘Galvano Plastique’ (electroplated bronze over plaster). The process used to create her was cutting-edge technology of the time performed by chemical/electrical engineer Jay Danielli. She was an experimental piece involving not only Rodin, but the talented hand of Claudel herself.
In The Rodin Quest Hale cleverly weaves his family roots straight to the statue which through a barter agreement ended up in the hands of his great-grandfather Theodore Villeneuve – a London jeweller and goldsmith. Villeneuve accepted the statue in ‘payment of a debt’ and gave it to his daughter Isabella (Hale’s paternal grandmother) as a wedding gift. Through an intriguing tale of fiction based on fact, he uses family members of his past to portray the characters that take readers back to 1850 then on to the year 1885-6 when the fateful exchange took place.
For over a century now the black statue has patiently waited for recognition so rightly her own. In The Rodin Quest Hale goes to great lengths to give her that due. Through scientific testing he proves the age and substance of materials used to create her bronze covered body – a blend 68 % plaster and 28 % wax (4% other). Modern x-ray technology surprisingly revealed the raised right arm to be a modification of a previous statue. An original work of art, she was created by professional hands and Hale has left no stone unturned in his evidence to authenticate her age, the process and the workmanship used.
While unsigned by Rodin, the statue visibly flaunts his passion – it is Camille Claudel. In Chapter 17 ‘Unlocking the secret – Not Just a Pretty Face’ Hale a retired engineer, used a mathematical process using facial ratios to compare his statue’s face to a rare 1882 photo of the talented sculptress. It resulted with a mismatch of only 3.03 % (0.00 being a perfect score), while other ‘look-alikes’ ranged from 17 to 28%.
Looking closely at the serene angelic features I begin to see the illusionary changes caused by light. In fact one photograph where the statue is laid on her back arched over a chair arm, the face completely transforms. Rounded childlike cheeks take on a more defined, mature look and suddenly I see the beautiful Camille laying there – eyes closed, arm extended and one hand cupped behind her head. No doubt Rodin recognized these chameleon-like qualities in his lover and was challenged to capture through the many works he created in her image during their ten year affair.
Strangely while all of the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place and into the hands of Musee Rodin, facility directors have refused to acknowledge, comment or even communicate, remaining silent for the last five years.
Hale has placed all of his cards on the table in The Rodin Quest producing black and white evidence of his findings. With Musee Rodin’s confirmation or without, Hale believes his black statue is a rare and original Rodin/Claudel – an exclusive studio experiment.
Sharon Weatherall.
Canadian Freelance Journalist. <s_weatherall@rogers.com>
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