Questions Still Open

Three areas of the Blanche Denise dossier remain under active investigation. These open questions do not prevent the corrections already supported by the record from being stated. They define the limits of what can currently be said with certainty and identify the next steps for anyone who wishes to extend this research.

The first open question is the exact birth date. The available record shows two dates: 19 January 1880 and 27 June 1880. Both appear in sources associated with Blanche Denise Willmann, and the discrepancy has not been resolved by a direct reading of the original civil register entry for Saint-Denis. Access to the departmental archive would allow this to be settled. Until then, all dossier materials use circa 1880.

The second open question is the cast-specific provenance chain. The argument for a circa 1904 date rests on biographical and stylistic evidence. A full provenance reconstruction — establishing the chain of ownership from the point of creation to the current or most recent documented location — has not been completed. Such a reconstruction would either confirm the early dating or introduce new evidence that requires the argument to be revised. It is the most significant remaining task for publication-standard documentation.

The third open question involves the secondary biographical connections referenced in this dossier: the association with Judith Cladel, the wider social network around the Ferrero-Bugatti professional connection, and the full extent of Felix Ferrero’s relationship with the Rodin workshop. These connections require citation-grade confirmation before they can be stated as established facts in any public correction note.