A SCULPTURE by renowned French artist Auguste Rodin, only cast in bronze for the first time last year, sold for more than US$1 million at a London sale Tuesday.

    The sculpture of “Aphrodite,” moulds of which were until recently thought lost, was created by Rodin in 1913 for a play of the same name in Paris — but at the time it was cast only in plaster for its appearance on stage.

    “Conceived in 1913 for a play, this sculpture was never cast as the moulds containing the upper part of the arms were only found very recently,” said Pierre Martin-Vivier of the Christie’s auction house in a statement.

    Only in 2014, during research into Rodin’s donations to the French state, did the museum housing the artist’s work uncover the complete mould, allowing it to be cast in bronze.

    The 2.15-meter piece, which shows the nude goddess of love with her arms elegantly stretched above her head, fetched US$1,148,053 late Tuesday.

    The sculpture by Rodin, better known for works such as “The Kiss” and “The Thinker,” is a much larger version of an older image of Aphrodite which featured in Rodin’s monumental “Gates of Hell.”

    The lot was sold as part of the auction house’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale, which also saw pieces by Pablo Picasso, Rene Magritte and Paul Cezanne go under the hammer.(SD-Agencies)