The Burghers of Calais

modeled 1884–95, cast 1985

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 548

The Burghers of Calais (1884–95) is Rodin’s best-known public monument. The plaster and bronze casts in this case are small- and large-scale studies from different stages of the commission that Rodin considered independent works. The monument commemorates the heroism of six leading citizens (burghers) of the French city of Calais. In the fourteenth century, at the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, they offered their lives to the English king in exchange for the lifting of his siege of the city. By portraying their despair and haunted courage in the face of death, Rodin challenged contemporary heroic ideals and made an event from the past seem immediate and real. A full-scale bronze of The Burghers of Calais is on view in the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court (Gallery 548).

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: The Burghers of Calais
Artist: Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)
Founder: Coubertin Foundry
Date: modeled 1884–95, cast 1985
Culture: French, Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse
Medium: Bronze
Dimensions: Overall: 82 1/2 × 94 × 95 in. (209.6 × 238.8 × 241.3 cm)
Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
Credit Line: Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, 1989
Object Number: 1989.407
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Audio

91. The Burghers of Calais, Part 1

Gallery 548

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