Pierre de Wiessant, Type B Head (Pierre de Wissant, tête Type B)
European Art
Rodin executed several differently sized heads in preparation for the final version of Pierre de Wiessant. This variant was his ultimate choice for the head and is identical to it in size.
The rough contours and the knuckle impression at the top of the nose are evidence of the artist’s forceful manipulation of the clay model. For Rodin, this undulating surface manifested his subject’s inner psychological turbulence: ‘‘I have always tried to express interior feelings through the mobility of the muscles.’’ He allowed this emotional realism to coexist with clear evidence of the sculpture’s manufacture: The seams of the casting process remain visible on its surface.
The rough contours and the knuckle impression at the top of the nose are evidence of the artist’s forceful manipulation of the clay model. For Rodin, this undulating surface manifested his subject’s inner psychological turbulence: ‘‘I have always tried to express interior feelings through the mobility of the muscles.’’ He allowed this emotional realism to coexist with clear evidence of the sculpture’s manufacture: The seams of the casting process remain visible on its surface.
CAST BY
Alexis Rudier Fondeur, Paris
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
1885 or 1886; cast before 1952
DIMENSIONS
11 1/4 × 8 1/2 × 9 in., 11 lb. (28.6 × 21.6 × 22.9 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
Back of neck: ".Alexis Rudier./.Fondeur. Paris."
SIGNATURE
Neck, proper left: "A. Rodin"
COLLECTIONS
European Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
84.77.9
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Pierre de Wiessant, Type B Head (Pierre de Wissant, tête Type B), 1885 or 1886; cast before 1952. Bronze, 11 1/4 × 8 1/2 × 9 in., 11 lb. (28.6 × 21.6 × 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, 84.77.9. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.77.9_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 84.77.9_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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