The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 12, 2026

A light gray plaster sculpture depicts a man's head and neck, tilted downward and to our left. He has a deeply furrowed brow over closed eyes, a large nose, and a slightly open mouth. Short, wavy hair is textured across his head. The material has a rough surface with visible tool marks. A horizontal seam encircles the lower neck, which widens into a rounded, uneven base.

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

1886

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840–1917)
France, late 19th-early 20th Century
plaster
Overall: 85.1 x 61 x 50.8 cm (33 1/2 x 24 x 20 in.)
Gift of Loïe Fuller 1917.722
Location: Not on view

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. This plaster features a highly expressive, hand-worked surface inscribed in places with graphite and covered with delicate, tinted washes.
  • Loïe Fuller, Paris, France.
  • "Modern Sculpture at the Museum." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 6 (1917): 108-09. Mentioned: pp. 108-109 www.jstor.org
    "Rodin Memorial Exhibition." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 9 (1917): 162-63. Mentioned: pp. 162-163 www.jstor.org
    "Report of the Museum's Second Year." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 6/7 (1918): 69-79. Mentioned: p. 70 25136208
    Robinson, William H. and Dansereau-Tackett, Julie. "Rodin--100 Years: Commemorating the centennial of the French master's death.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 57, no. 5 (September/October 2017): 8-9. Reproduced: P. 8; Mentioned: P. 9 archive.org
  • Rodin-100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2017-May 13, 2018).
    Rodin—100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2017-May 13, 2018).
    Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008).
    Loïe Fuller. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 10-June 3, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais|url=false|author=Auguste Rodin|year=1886|access-date=12 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.722