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Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais
Auguste Rodin1886
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
This sculpture depicts one of the figures in Rodin’s large public monument <em>The Burghers of Calais</em> (1884–89), featuring six French men who volunteered to be taken prisoner by the English in exchange for lifting the siege of Calais during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453). Pierre de Wissant’s anguished expression suggests extreme mental suffering as he contemplates his expected execution. Rodin exhibited a life-size version of the figure as an independent work before completing the monument. He later made multiple versions in various sizes and media.
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Details
- Title: Heroic Head of Pierre de Wissant, One of the Burghers of Calais
- Creator: Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)
- Date Created: 1886
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 83.5 x 47 x 55.3 cm (32 7/8 x 18 1/2 x 21 3/4 in.)
- Provenance: Purchased by Mrs. Emery May Holden Norweb in 1917, but held in Paris and sent to the CMA in 1920.
- Type: Sculpture
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1920.120
- Medium: bronze
- Inscriptions: inscribed at neck, left: A.Rodin; inscribed lower back: Alexis Rudier/Fondeur-Paris.
- Fun Fact: This sculpture depicts the head of a figure from Rodin's large public monument <em>The Burghers of Calais</em> (1884-89). The CMA also owns a plaster version of the head.
- Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Culture: France, 19th century
- Credit Line: The Norweb Collection
- Collection: Mod Euro - Sculpture 1800-1960
- Accession Number: 1920.120
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