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Suzon

European Art

This animated portrait bust dates from Rodin’s sojourn in Brussels, where he lived and worked between 1871 and 1877. He went there as part of the workshop of sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, who left Paris—socially and economically devastated in those years after a defeat in the Franco-Prussian War—for the better sales and commission opportunities Belgium offered.

Suzon exemplifies the ornamental Neo-Rococo style Rodin practiced in this period. In 1875, Rodin sold his design to Compagnie des Bronzes, along with the rights for unlimited reproduction. The company reproduced this enormously popular sculpture by the thousands, in a variety of materials and sizes, until at least 1939.
MEDIUM Bronze
  • Place Made: Belgium
  • DATES before 1875; cast between 1875–1939
    DIMENSIONS 16 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (40.6 x 18.4 x 18.4 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Proper left shoulder: "A. Rodin"
    INSCRIPTIONS Back, lower edge: "7347"
    COLLECTIONS European Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 84.75.11
    CREDIT LINE Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Suzon, before 1875; cast between 1875–1939. Bronze, 16 x 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (40.6 x 18.4 x 18.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.75.11. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.75.11_bw.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 84.75.11_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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