Rodin Museum The Martyr Signed on base by back of head: A. Rodin Foundry mark on edge of work by figure's left shoulder: Alexis Rudier/Fondeur Paris Made in France, EuropeModeled 1885, enlarged 1889; cast 1925 Auguste Rodin, French, 1840 - 1917. Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris, 1874 - 1952. Bronze * Rodin Museum, East Gallery F1929-7-8 Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929 |
LabelRodin originally intended this figure to be part of his monumental work The Gates of Hell (Philadelphia Museum of Art, F1929-7-128), attached to a vertical support to appear as if floating in space. However, the dislocation expressed by the body when presented horizontally compelled Rodin to make it into a sculpture in its own right. The ambiguous nature of The Martyr emerges from the feelings of both suffering and ecstasy she expresses, reflecting Rodin's conception of love. The sculptor must have found the particular tension of the limbs especially expressive, as he returned to it on a number of occasions such as in the Fall of Icarus (Collection of the Musée Rodin, Paris).* 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. |
