Collection

Balzac, Monumental Head (Balzac, tête monumentale)

Auguste Rodin

1 of 2

Object Label

This is an enlargement of one of the final life-size head studies for the Balzac monument. Its exaggerated physiognomy departs from the more realistic portrait studies of the project’s early stages, with an agitated sculptural surface meant to communicate a restless, creative psyche. The head was to be viewed from below and at a distance, and the effect of light on the deeply modeled sculpture played an important role in Rodin’s conception. From different perspectives and under various lighting conditions, Balzac’s face yields a multiplicity of expressions, suggesting the complexity of the author’s personality.

Caption

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Balzac, Monumental Head (Balzac, tête monumentale), 1898; cast 1979. Bronze, 20 x 17 1/2 x 16 in. (50.8 x 44.5 x 40.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.75.23. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Balzac, Monumental Head (Balzac, tête monumentale)

Date

1898; cast 1979

Geography

Place made: France

Medium

Bronze

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

20 x 17 1/2 x 16 in. (50.8 x 44.5 x 40.6 cm)

Signatures

Base, proper left: "A. Rodin" Interior, front of neck, plate in relief: "A. Rodin"

Inscriptions

Base, proper left, below signature: "No 6"

Markings

Back, lower edge of base: ".Georges Rudier./.Fondeur. Paris." Lower edge of base, proper left: "© by Musée Rodin 1978"

Credit Line

Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation

Accession Number

84.75.23

Frequent Art Questions

  • Why is that some of his sculptures without eyes? Did he intentionally leave it out?

    I believe the lack of eyes is a reference to antiquity. Many of the ancient sculptures Rodin would have seen would have been missing their eyes either because the inlays had been lost or the paint has come off.
    Rodin was known to make such direct references to the sculptures he saw, including removing limbs. Also, he was more concerned with expression than detail.

  • Why are the eyes hollow?

    We're not sure, but one theory is that it is meant as a reference to ancient sculptures which often have hollow eyes where the inlays were removed. Rodin often took inspiration from ancient sculpture including the ways that damage would change the overall effect.

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Artists and makers

Auguste Rodin

75 works in the collection

Georges Rudier Fondeur, Paris

25 works in the collection