The Sirens (Les Sirènes)
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The sirens are the part-bird, part-woman characters of Greek mythology whose enchanting songs lured unwary sailors to their deaths in Homer’s Odyssey. Rodin considered their tale of deception and death an appropriate subject for The Gates of Hell, where they appear in the left panel.
Caption
Auguste Rodin French, 1840–1917. The Sirens (Les Sirènes), 1880s, cast 1967. Bronze, 17 × 17 1/4 × 12 5/8 in., 45.5 lb. (43.2 × 43.8 × 32.1 cm, 20.64kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 86.87.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.87.1_SL3.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
The Sirens (Les Sirènes)
Date
1880s, cast 1967
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
17 × 17 1/4 × 12 5/8 in., 45.5 lb. (43.2 × 43.8 × 32.1 cm, 20.64kg)
Signatures
Below the knees of the middle figure: "A. Rodin"; Interior, front of base, raised cachet: "A. Rodin"
Markings
Back of base to the right: ".Georges Rudier. Fondeur. Paris." Proper left edge: "© by Musée Rodin 1967"
Credit Line
Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation
Accession Number
86.87.1
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
what is this?
This is a statue showing us sirens, part-bird and part-woman creatures from Greek mythology.In this case, Rodin is preparing imagery for his larger work, The Gates of Hell. These mythological figures, known for luring some of Odysseus's crew to their deaths, were, in Rodin's eyes, a perfect match for the subject matter in The Gates of Hell.At least five marble versions of this sculpture were also produced in Rodin's studio.
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