Rodin Museum Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose Signed right side of neck and on stamp inside: A. Rodin. Foundry mark back of neck to left: Alexis RUDIER / Fondeur. PARIS. Made in France, EuropeModeled 1863-64; cast 1925 Auguste Rodin, French, 1840 - 1917. Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris, 1874 - 1952. Bronze * Rodin Museum, Main Gallery F1929-7-55 Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929 |
LabelBreaking with conventional notions of beauty, Rodin chose his model—a local workman named Bibi—for his clear-cut facial features and broken nose. The sculptor defended the roughness of this work as artistic beauty, investing the features with a dignity reminiscent of classical sculpture. Rodin considered Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose his first good piece of modeling and said it “determined all my future work.”* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit. |
