Large Left Hand (Grande main gauche)
Auguste Rodin
European Art
Rodin was fascinated by the expressive capabilities of partial figures and fragmented body parts, particularly hands. He modeled hundreds of them, using them both as parts of more complex pieces and as independent sculptures that did not require further context or connection to communicate meaning and emotion.
Inspired by Renaissance artists and the academic tradition, Rodin took anatomy classes and studied preserved body parts and anatomical models on view at a medical museum in Paris. The contorted shapes of the diseased hands he saw there may have inspired hand studies like this one. Indeed, some physicians who have studied his hand sculptures claim to be able to discern specific syndromes and injuries in them.
Inspired by Renaissance artists and the academic tradition, Rodin took anatomy classes and studied preserved body parts and anatomical models on view at a medical museum in Paris. The contorted shapes of the diseased hands he saw there may have inspired hand studies like this one. Indeed, some physicians who have studied his hand sculptures claim to be able to discern specific syndromes and injuries in them.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
before 1912; date of cast unknown
DIMENSIONS
11 5/8 x 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (29.5 x 11.4 x 14 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Inside of wrist: "RODIN"
COLLECTIONS
European Art
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
EXHIBITIONS
ACCESSION NUMBER
84.75.17
CREDIT LINE
Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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CAPTION
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917). Large Left Hand (Grande main gauche), before 1912; date of cast unknown. Bronze, 11 5/8 x 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. (29.5 x 11.4 x 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.75.17. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.75.17_SL3.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 84.75.17_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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