Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)
A Burgher of Calais (Jean d'Aire)
INV-0719
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)Modeled 1889
A Burgher of Calais (Jean d'Aire)
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) →Post-Impressionism19th centurynineteenth centurysculpturelarge scale
Date
Modeled 1889
Medium
Plaster
Dimensions
208.3 × 66 cm (82 × 26 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Addie M. Hall Ellis
This statue is a part of the famous sculptural group The Burghers of Calais, made by Auguste Rodin to commemorate a tragic episode from the 14th century, during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. Rodin depicted the moment when six courageous men offered them-selves as hostages to Edward III, the king of England, in exchange for the liberation of the city of Calais from a siege that had been starving inhabitants for nearly a year. This plaster statue (painted to simulate bronze) was exhibited in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago, and entered the Art Institute’s collection that year.
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