Study for France or Saint George (Étude pour la France, ou Saint Georges)
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. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.75.7_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Cast by
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
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
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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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."
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