The Gates of Hell
Foundry mark lower right side: Alexis Rudier/Fondeur. PARIS
Auguste Rodin, French, 1840 - 1917. Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris, 1874 - 1952.
Geography:
Made in France, Europe
Date:
Modeled 1880-1917; cast 1926-1928Medium:
BronzeDimensions:
20 feet 10 3/4 inches × 13 feet 2 inches × 33 3/8 inches (636.9 × 401.3 × 84.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Rodin Museum
F1929-7-128Credit Line:
Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929
Made in France, Europe
Date:
Modeled 1880-1917; cast 1926-1928Medium:
BronzeDimensions:
20 feet 10 3/4 inches × 13 feet 2 inches × 33 3/8 inches (636.9 × 401.3 × 84.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Rodin Museum
* Rodin Museum, Parkway
Accession Number:F1929-7-128Credit Line:
Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929
Label:
In 1880 Rodin was commissioned to create a set of bronze doors for a new museum in Paris. Inspired by The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri (Italian, c. 1265–1324), Rodin planned to decorate the doors with characters that Dante met on his fictional journey through hell. The sculptor eventually discarded the idea of a strict narrative and instead created a weightless, chaotic world filled with more than 200 figures in the throes of pain and despair. Although the planned museum never came to fruition, Rodin worked on the sculpture for nearly thirty-seven years, periodically adding, removing, or modifying elements on it.
In 1880 Rodin was commissioned to create a set of bronze doors for a new museum in Paris. Inspired by The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri (Italian, c. 1265–1324), Rodin planned to decorate the doors with characters that Dante met on his fictional journey through hell. The sculptor eventually discarded the idea of a strict narrative and instead created a weightless, chaotic world filled with more than 200 figures in the throes of pain and despair. Although the planned museum never came to fruition, Rodin worked on the sculpture for nearly thirty-seven years, periodically adding, removing, or modifying elements on it.
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