Collection

Study for France or Saint George (Étude pour la France, ou Saint Georges)

Auguste Rodin

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

Rodin used the features of his assistant and lover, the sculptor Camille Claudel, for this allegorical personification of France despite the fact that their relationship had ended at least ten years earlier.

Claudel met Rodin during the early 1880s, while he was working on The Gates of Hell. She assisted him with this and other projects, and her features can be recognized in many of his sculptures. She was a gifted artist in her own right but grew increasingly fearful that Rodin was preventing her from receiving commissions and professional recognition. She became reclusive, and in 1913 her family committed her to a mental asylum, abruptly ending her artistic career. She died in the asylum in 1943.

Caption

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Study for France or Saint George (Étude pour la France, ou Saint Georges), ca. 1903, cast 1982. Bronze, 20 x 17 3/4 x 13 7/8 in. (50.8 x 45.1 x 35.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.75.7. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Study for France or Saint George (Étude pour la France, ou Saint Georges)

Date

ca. 1903, cast 1982

Geography

Place made: France

Medium

Bronze

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

20 x 17 3/4 x 13 7/8 in. (50.8 x 45.1 x 35.2 cm)

Signatures

Proper left shoulder: "Rodin"

Inscriptions

Proper left shoulder: "No I/III"

Markings

Back, lower edge, proper left: "E. GODARD FONDR" Back, lower edge, proper right: "© BY MUSÉE RODIN 1982"

Credit Line

Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation

Accession Number

84.75.7

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you tell me more?

    Rodin referenced the features of his assistant and lover, Camille Claudel, for this allegorical personification of France. A cast of this work was given to the US as a gift and can be found at the base of the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse in Crown Point, New York, which is near the Vermont border.
    One thing I love about Rodin's work is how the surface of the figures and the treatment of the bronze, to produce different colors and levels of polish, can add meaning to the work beyond the subject being represented.

  • I’ve read a lot about the relationship between Rodin and Camille Claudel. I was surprised she was not mentioned in the Rodin exhibit. Or did I miss it?

    There isn't much mention of Claudel in this exhibition because it focuses on the pieces we have in our collection which mostly don't relate directly to her, though she was an important part of Rodin's life.
    I would recommend checking out Study for La France or Saint George, a bust-length sculpture that is based on Claudel's likeness.

  • Are there any sculptures of Camille Claudel?

    There is one sculpture that is based on the likeness of Claudel, it's called "Study for La France or Saint George."

Have information?

Have information about an artwork? Contact us at

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Artists and makers

Auguste Rodin

75 works in the collection

Émile Godard Fondeur, Paris

7 works in the collection