Burghers of Calais

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The Burghers of Calais tells the story of six men who risked their lives to save their friends and family in the city of Calais, France. Calais was attacked by an army that didn't let the city have any food or water. The people in the city lived for eleven months before the King of the army was convinced to have mercy on them. The King told the people of Calais that he would tell his army to leave if the people's town leaders would give him the keys to the city. He said that the leaders should be dressed in plain clothing and should have a rope around their necks when they came to him. Six men called Burghers volunteered to go to the king. All six men expected that the king would kill them when they gave him the keys. The king's wife convinced him to not kill the Burghers but, to let them go back to their homes.                                               Augusta Rodin was hired by the city of Calais to sculpt a memorial about this story. He met the burgher's descendants and used them as models for his sculpture. Rodin wanted the people of Calais to remember the story and to know how brave those six men were.

Burghers of Calais, Auguste Rodin, 1884-88 (model) - 1953 (cast), From the collection of: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Second Maquette for the Burghers of Calais, Auguste Rodin, modelled 1885 cast 1972, From the collection of: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Monument to the Burghers of Calais, First Maquette (Monument des Bourgeois de Calais, première maquette), Auguste Rodin, November 1884, cast ca. 1967, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Small head of Andrieus d'Andres, Auguste RODIN, c.1885 (E. Godard Foundry, cast 1985), From the collection of: Art Gallery of South Australia
Head of Jean de Fiennes, Auguste RODIN, c.1886 (E. Godard Foundry, cast 1984), From the collection of: Art Gallery of South Australia
Small head of Jean de Fiennes with hand, Auguste RODIN, c.1885 (G Rudier Foundry, cast 1985), From the collection of: Art Gallery of South Australia
Jacques de Wissant draped, Auguste RODIN, c.1886-88 (Coubertin Foundry, cast 1988), From the collection of: Art Gallery of South Australia
Pierre de Wiessant, Monumental (Pierre de Wissant, monumental), Auguste Rodin, 1887; cast 1979, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Eustache de Saint-Pierre, Monumental (Eustache de Saint-Pierre, monumental), Auguste Rodin, ca. 1886-1887, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Eustache was the leader of the group. Other sculptors let the viewer know who was the most important person in the group by making them taller than everyone else. Why do you think that Rodin chose not to do that. How does he tell you that Eustache was important?
Andrieu dAndres, Monumental (Andrieu dAndres, monumental), Auguste Rodin, 1888; cast 1983, From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
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