A sculpture by renowned French artist Auguste Rodin, only cast in bronze for the first time last year, sold for more than $1 million at a London sale on 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 metre piece, which shows the nude goddess of love with her arms elegantly

Read More: Previously uncast Rodin sculpture fetches $1.1 million at Christie’s London sale