Danaid (Danaïde)
Auguste Rodin
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
This sculpture depicts one of the Danaids of Greek mythology. After murdering their husbands on their wedding night, the Danaids were condemned to the endless task of filling leaking vessels with water. Auguste Rodin’s Danaid has collapsed in exhaustion and despair, having realized the futility of her actions. Although the overturned jug links the composition to its mythological source, Rodin was primarily interested in the expressive potential of the nude female form, here presented in a pose that is both sensual and frank.
Rodin supervised and authorized the production of marble sculptures, such as this one, that were made by a skilled stone carver working from the artist’s clay or plaster model.
Rodin supervised and authorized the production of marble sculptures, such as this one, that were made by a skilled stone carver working from the artist’s clay or plaster model.
Caption
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Danaid (Danaïde), probably 1903. Marble, 12 3/4 × 27 1/2 × 20 1/2 in., 285 lb. (32.4 × 69.9 × 52.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 12.873. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Frequent Art Questions
I am curious about this and whether anyone attributes it to Camille Claudel instead of Rodin? It really looks like one of hers at the Orsay, a woman's head emerging from a block of marble.
This one is attributed entirely to Rodin although Rodin himself never touched marble. He would work with carvers who translated his plaster models into marble using a pointing machine. (And in fact, the work at the Orsay that you mentioned, La Pensée or Thought c. 1895, is actually also by Rodin, though Claudel did pose for it.) But you're absolutely right that the two artists did work very closely and in a very similar style between about 1882 and 1898 (when they were also involved in a passionate love affair). However, it's impossible to know to what degree they collaborated on any individual artwork.Thank you!You're welcome!What is this person doing?
That's one of my favorite works by Rodin in the lobby. I love the contrast between the smoothness of the woman's body and the rough texture of the ground she lies on.It has an ancient Greek myth as its subject. The Danaids ("daughters of Danaos") were punished for killing their husbands on their wedding night. They were forced to fill up a bottomless barrel with water, an endless task. This Danaid is exhausted from her labors, with her hair streaming across the ground.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at