Iris Waking a Nymph (Iris éveillant une nymphe)

Here, the deity Iris, messenger of the gods, eagerly alights on the knee of a shy nymph who recoils in surprise at this sudden incitement to love. Rodin frequently evoked nymphs, bacchantes, and other mythological personages in his works. This did not reflect an allegiance to classical literature, but rather recognition of the popularity of these kinds of titillating mythological subjects during the Second French Empire, when he was beginning his career. Often, as with this work, a mythological title provided an acceptable context for an erotic theme.