Photographed by Scott Wolff. Scanned from a slide. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.

The Age of Bronze

Artist Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917)

ManufacturerBronze cast by Alexis Rudier Foundeur (French)

Date1876, cast after 1880

MediumBronze

Dimensions71 1/2 x 20 x 20 1/2 in. (181.6 x 50.8 x 52.1 cm)
Base: 3 1/2 x 20 x 20 1/2 in. (8.9 x 50.8 x 52.1 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2045

Terms

Man
Bronze
Bronze

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is a full size bronze statue of a nude male. His right hand rests on his head in a clenched fist. His left arm is raised, but bent at the elbow, also in a clenched fist. His face is turned slightly upward and his eyes are almost closed. He is in the contrapposto position, his left foot slightly ahead of his right.

Label TextAuguste Rodin French, 1840–1917 The Age of Bronze, modeled 1876, cast after 1880 Bronze cast by Alexis Rudier Foundeur, Paris, France Auguste Rodin began this work with the memory of the Franco-Prussian War fresh in his mind. He intended to call it The Vanquished, and he used a Belgian soldier as his model. At one point the figure held a spear in his left hand. Later, however, Rodin changed his mind and renamed it The Age of Bronze, referring to a mythic age when men were consumed by violence and warfare. When he exhibited the sculpture in 1877, critics accused him of having made it from casts taken directly from a model’s body. Defending his reputation, Rodin supplied photographs of his model in the nude. The artist prevailed, and The Age of Bronze extended his international reputation. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2045