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.
Auguste Rodin, French, 1840 - 1917. Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris, 1874 - 1952.
Geography:
Made in France, Europe
Date:
Modeled 1863-1864; cast 1925Medium:
BronzeDimensions:
10 1/4 x 6 7/8 x 9 3/4 inches (26 x 17.5 x 24.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Rodin Museum
F1929-7-55Credit Line:
Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929
Made in France, Europe
Date:
Modeled 1863-1864; cast 1925Medium:
BronzeDimensions:
10 1/4 x 6 7/8 x 9 3/4 inches (26 x 17.5 x 24.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
Rodin Museum
* Rodin Museum, East Gallery
Accession Number:F1929-7-55Credit Line:
Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929
Label:
Breaking 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.”
Breaking 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.”
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