The Old Courtesan (La Belle qui fut heaulmière)

Auguste Rodin French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800

Incorporated into the left pilaster on The Gates of Hell, the withered old woman evoked a moral connection between sin and the ravages of time. The harrowing veracity of the independent sculpture accords with a statement of Rodin’s: "Character is the intense truth of any natural [sight], beautiful or ugly."

The Old Courtesan (La Belle qui fut heaulmière), Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

The Old Courtesan (La Belle qui fut heaulmière), Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
The Old Courtesan (La Belle qui fut heaulmière), Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
The Old Courtesan (La Belle qui fut heaulmière), Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.