The Age of Bronze

Auguste Rodin 1840 - 1917

Summary

Sculpture of a nude male figure with clenched right hand on his head and his left as if holding a spear.

Display Label

The Age of Bronze 1911 after the original of 1877 Auguste Rodin 1840 - 1917 Cast bronze The Age of Bronze was Rodin’s first major work. The model was a Belgian soldier who held a spear above his head when posing. When the original was first exhibited in 1877, the sculpture appeared so life-like, Rodin was accused of casting it from a living model rather than from his own sculpture in plaster. The pose echoes that of Michaelangelo’s Dying Slave, which Rodin probably saw in the Louvre in Paris. The meaning of the artist’s title is not known but the figure is thought to represent early man, physically perfect, becoming conscious of his powers. The Art Gallery Committee commissioned this cast, following a visit to the artist’s studio in 1911. Purchased 1911.109