The Age of Maturity, a symbolic sculpture created by the French artist Camille Claudel, has a definite history behind it. Also known by several other titles, including Destiny (L'Âge mûr), The Path of Life, or Fatality, the work was initially commissioned by the French Ministry of Fine Arts in 1895, but even before a bronze was cast, the commission was cancelled in 1899 for reasons best known to them. Nevertheless, a plaster version of the sculpture was exhibited in 1899, which was eventually cast in bronze privately in 1902, commissioned by Captain Tissier, a French army officer and amateur art collector. Later, a second bronze casting was also made privately in 1913, and it is believed that the original plaster version was destroyed by the artist at that time. Today, two versions of the sculpture, comprising three naked figures, viewed as an allegory of ageing, are displayed in two museums in Paris, the bronze version of 1902 is housed in the Musée d'Orsay, while the second larger version from 1913 is exhibited at the Musée Rodin, Paris.

The Age of Maturity portrays three nude figures in a dramatic scene of abandonment. The first version, created in 1902, depicts the kneeling figure of an imploring young woman holding the left hand of a man, who seems to be passive, while his right arm hangs limply over the shoulders of an elderly woman, glaring at the kneeling figure, evidently conscious of her as a rival. However, in the second larger version of 1913, the man is shown pulled away by the figure of the elderly woman, while the visibly upset younger woman is on her knees with her helpless outstretched arms in a beseeching gesture. But the interaction between the figures representing youth and old age as revealed in the first version was later rejected in favour of the more arresting dynamic version in which the figures lurch forward in the same direction, as though urged by the inescapable force of time.

Notably, unlike the first version, in which the man is still held firmly by youth and life, in the second version, he is pulled away by old age and death from the outstretched arms of the imploring young woman. Apart from that, the figures in the first version stand naked on a flat plinth, while the final version is added with the billowing drapery that unites the man and older woman and the three levels of rock and ends in a wavy curve. The rippled drapery, along with strong use of shadow, indicates not only the influence of Art Nouveau on Claudel’s work in the late 1890s, but perhaps also signifies the theatricality of Baroque sculpture.

The sculpture, created by Camille Claudel between 1890 and 1899, is regarded by many as an allegory of ageing, the man leaving behind youth and progressing towards maturity and eventual death, where an elderly woman, representing old age and ultimate destiny, forcibly pulls him away from a kneeling young woman, symbolising youth, abandoned love with unfulfilled desire. The determination of the elderly woman is evident from her firm grip and forward momentum, while the kneeling woman’s posture clearly conveys vulnerability through her twisted torso and extended arms, reflecting the widening gap between the man and the kneeling woman. However, it is also considered by several scholars to be autobiographical, reflecting the artist's tumultuous relationship with her lover and mentor, Auguste Rodin, showing him pulled away from her by Rose Beuret, a seamstress by trade, and his partner for 53 years with whom he had a son, and the kneeling figure as Claudel herself.

Interestingly, Rodin had taken Camille Claudel on as a student in 1884, where she assisted him with his major commissions like The Gates of Hell, and despite a huge age difference of 24 years, ultimately she became his associate, lover, mistress, and muse. However, it is said that Rodin was shocked and annoyed when he saw The Age of Maturity for the first time, cut off his support for Claudel, and probably influenced the French Ministry to cancel their commission. Unfortunately, after her break up with Rodin, Camille Claudel suffered from financial, professional, and mental health issues and was institutionalised by her family, where they rarely visited and did not care to bring her home despite the recommendations of the treating physicians. Nevertheless, evidencing Claudel’s unique artistic vision and technical prowess, The Age of Maturity established her reputation as an artist with exceptional talent independent of Auguste Rodin’s influence, and despite spending the latter part of her life in a mental hospital, far away from her artistic world, she has left a legacy and inspired several contemporary artists working in various mediums.