L´Age d´airain / The Bronze Age

L'Age d'airain (The Bronze Age) is a life-size bronze piece that Rodin had begun in October, 1875 and continued before the trip he made to Italy. In Florence he was impressed by Michelangelo's work, which he studied intensely. This Influence is shown in modeling of the figure and the pose. He raises his right arm to lightly touch his head. Lifted slightly, the left arm is folded in a gesture that terminates with closed fist; his right leg is bent, his full weight resting on the left leg. Rodin proposes a play between the limbs' movements in subtle opposition, applying an Italian formula-contraposto- that Michelangelo had used in some of his works. These movements give rise to a figure that reveals an expression loaded with contained anger and resignation. That was the idea expressed in his first title, Le Vaincu (The Defeated) which it is considered to have been an homage to the soldiers who had fought in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. L'Age d'airain is one of his works with countless versions. In addition to the examples that were produced based on the original, measuring 175.3 x 67.5 x 52.9cm, there are others smaller examples that were cast, such as ours, measuring 101.5 x 32 x 27cm, and also to a third version known as L'Age d'airain, Petit modele, which is 64.4cm tall.