Artwork Page for Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais

Details / Information for Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais

Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais

1886

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840–1917)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
bronze
Measurements
Overall: 83.5 x 47 x 55.3 cm (32 7/8 x 18 1/2 x 21 3/4 in.)
Weight: 123 lbs
Credit Line
The Norweb Collection 1920.120
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This sculpture depicts the head of a figure from Rodin's large public monument The Burghers of Calais (1884-89). The CMA also owns a plaster version of the head.

Description

This sculpture depicts one of the figures in Rodin’s large public monument The Burghers of Calais (1884–89), featuring six French men who volunteered to be taken prisoner by the English in exchange for lifting the siege of Calais during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453). Pierre de Wissant’s anguished expression suggests extreme mental suffering as he contemplates his expected execution. Rodin exhibited a life-size version of the figure as an independent work before completing the monument. He later made multiple versions in various sizes and media.
A dark-brown and green bronze sculpture depicts a man's head and neck with a rough, deeply modeled texture. The head tilts toward our right and downward with closed eyes, a furrowed brow, and a slightly open mouth. Irregular, bumpy forms represent the hair. Deep horizontal creases ring the thick neck, which tapers to a flared, uneven base. Light catches the ridges of the mottled, weathered patina.

Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais

1886

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840–1917)
France, 19th century

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