What are the figures as you walk in meant to be?
They are titled "The Burghers of Calais" and were made by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. They depict an episode from the Hundred Years' War between France and England. In 1347, after the city of Calais had been under siege for eleven months, six prominent citizens offered their lives to the English king, Edward III, in return for his promise to spare the city. Upon hearing of their bravery, the English Queen Philippa interceded and obtained their release.
In 1884, Rodin was commissioned by the city of Calais to produce a monument honoring the six burghers. Rodin rejected the established conventions of public sculpture and portrayed the men not as glorious heroes, but as troubled and isolated individuals brought together by their anguish and common purpose.
How did Rodin make these sculptures?
Rodin used the "sand casting" method. He would have created his intended form in clay, then built a mould around it using a mixture of special sand, salt, and a binding agent. When the mould was ready, he would remove the clay from the center and then pour liquid bronze into the mould. Unlike other bronze casting techniques available at the time, sand casting allows for the creation of multiples.
Why do you have so many Rodin sculptures?
We received many of the Rodin works currently on view as a gift from the Cantor Foundation in 1980s. The Cantor Foundation is interested creating opportunities to further explore the works of Rodin and his contemporaries.
Was Rodin interested in contemporary politics when he did these sculptures?
Rodin created the Burghers of Calais as part of a public commission. In 1884, the city of Calais asked for submissions for a monument to honor the Burghers, who lived in the 14th century. Rodin won the commission in 1885, which lead to these statues (three in their final form, and one study on view today). The commission itself was part of a wider political movement by the French government to boost patriotic feeling across the country, following the disastrous aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the related uprising of the so-called Paris Commune.
Tell me more
Tell me more
Those are 2 of the Burghers of Calais, a sculpture series commemorating 6 prominent citizens of Calais who offered their lives to the English king in return for ending the siege on their city. Upon hearing of their bravery, the English queen interceded and obtained their release.
Rodin rejected the established conventions of public sculpture and portrayed the men, not as glorious heroes, but as troubled, isolated individuals in anguish and solemnity.
The first picture you sent is the nude sculpture of Pierre de Wiessant. The second is Eustache de Saint-Pierre, the richest, oldest, and most prominent citizen of the group to first volunteer.
Thank you!!!
Why is he specifically naked while the other sculptures of the series are robed?
Good question, Rodin made many versions of each of these figures as he was working out the entire composition. This nude version would have been draped in fabric so Rodin could see exactly what the final version should look like.
One of the robed figures in this gallery is actually Pierre de Wiessant again. Look for the figure in the same pose.
Can you tell me more about him?
This sculpture is a bronze version of Pierre de Wiessant, one of the Burghers of Calais, originally sculpted in 1886 by Rodin and cast in bronze in 1983 by Fonderie de Coubertin.
I'm not familiar with the history of Calais in the 14th century. Can you tell me what the city was suffering from at the time?
In 1346 King Edward III of England laid siege to Calais, a port in Northern France. This event was part of the Hundred Years War between England and France. After eleven months of siege, King Edward III agreed to spare the rest of the citizenry in exchange for the surrender of six of the leaders of Calais. Pierre de Weissant was one of these six burghers.
Wow, what a remarkable act on their part.
I'm sure you've noticed the contorted poses, as each man prepares for what he thinks will be his death. The burghers were actually spared by the Queen of England, but Rodin chose to show them as they made their sacrifice!
Yes, the form really does convey the emotion.
How long did it take to make this?
We don't know exactly how long Rodin spent making the clay model, but we do know that he made multiple studies for each part: the hands, the head, the torso, etc.
After he was done, a studio assistant would make a plaster mold. Then the mold would be filled with wax. This would be sent to a special foundry for the final piece to be cast in bronze using the lost wax technique.
The final bronze would be given a special patina finish. Each step would take several days! There's a video in the last part of the exhibit, if you are interested.
Thank you!
You're welcome! I find it interesting that Rodin chose to smooth out the surface on some pieces, but left others rough and expressive.
Please tell me more about this work.
This nude version of Pierre de Wiessant of the Burghers of Calais group showcases Rodin's emphasis on gesture and emotion in both bodies and faces.
It also represents an important step in his process. He created these nude versions of the Burghers and then draped fabric over them to create the models for the final versions. He wanted to be sure that it was clear that there was a body underneath the drapery.
You can see the final versions nearby!
What is this?
This bronze sculpture shows Pierre de Wiessant, one of the Burghers of Calais. The Burghers of Calais were heroes of the town of Calais who, during the Hundred Years War in the 14th century, sacrificed themselves to the English in order to halt the siege of the town.
Rodin was commissioned, five centuries later, to create a a monument to them. This monument was innovative in the way that it shows human suffering and anguish, rather than stoic heroism.
It looks like something is wrong with his arm—like there is a tumor or something. Is that intentional?
Rodin often left what we might perceive as "imperfections" in the surface of his works because he believed they conveyed added expression to the works. He said "flesh lives, vibrates, struggles and suffers." Rodin often saved accidents and marks that are evidence of the sculptural process.
This man, Pierre de Wiessant, was one of six Burghers of Calais who surrendered their lives to the English king in return for his sparing of their city, Calais. Rodin captures him, and the rest of the group, at the moment they are walking towards their death.
You will see this kind of rough surface crop up again and again throughout the show. Especially in the work "Cybele," a large, seated, headless woman.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
¿Quién es?
Este escultura es de Pierre de Wiessant, uno de los Burghers de Calais, una ciudad en Francia. Los Burghers de Calais fueron considerados héroes porque ofrecieron sus vidas para salvar su ciudad. Rodin los capturó en el momento justo antes de sus muertos.
Can you tell me more about the Franco-Prussian War?
The Franco-Prussian War was a conflict between the Second French Empire of Napoleon III and the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia.
The conflict was caused by Prussian desire to extend German unification and French fear of the shift in the European balance of power should the Prussians succeed.
I was wondering if you could tell me, how do you pronounce the artists name?
I can try! "Ro" has a long o, like row your boat. "din" sounds like the name Dan. Does that help?
Perfect just making sure! Thank you
How does one mold or shape bronze? It’s a metal right? So is a heated torch used? Or do you chisel it?
Bronze is actually cast! First you need to sculpt the work out of another material, in Rodin's case clay, and then make a mold into which molten bronze can be poured. Once the molten bronze is cool, you're left with a bronze version of the piece.
Is it original or just an imitation?
The concept of "original" vs. "copy" can get confusing around mold-made works and there are some special circumstances surrounding Rodin's work. All of the bronzes in the Rodin exhibition were cast from Rodin's original molds making them works by Rodin himself despite the fact that most of them were cast after his death.
You'll notice that there are two dates on the label. The first, 1886 is when Rodin made the mold and the second, 1983, is when this version was cast.
Multiple casts could be created of an artist's work and still be considered original as long as they are from models crafted by the artist.
Upon his death, Rodin left his estate, including his molds, to the nation of France and they are now housed in the Musée Rodin. Collectors can commission new casts from these molds even today (so long as there are less than 12). The French government has determined that 12 casts are legally allowed to be made from each mold. There are even laws around how many can be in private collections and how many must be reserved for public museums.
Why does it look like these statues are posing identically?
Because they are! This sculpture and the next one down both depict the same figure. Rodin made this nude version first so that he could drape real fabric over it as reference for the final version.
The other two sculptures, further down, are also from the same commission, the Burghers of Calais. These statues commemorate citizens of Calais whole volunteered their lives to save their city during the Hundred Years War.
Rodin chose to sculpt them grappling with the thought that they were headed to their deaths, even though their lives were spared in the end.
Why are Rodin's sculptures arranged in a line rather than a group?
While the Burghers of Calais are most often seen grouped together and even sharing a single base, these separated versions give us a special opportunity to walk around each sculpture separately.
You may have noticed that one of these figures is nude. That’s a preparatory version of Pierre de Wiessant who also appears in our gallery draped in fabric.
