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A Burgher of Calais (Jean d'Aire)

A work made of plaster.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of plaster.

Date:

Modeled 1889

Artist:

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)

About this artwork

This statue is a part of the famous sculptural group The Burghers of Calais, made by Auguste Rodin to commemorate a tragic episode from the 14th century, during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. Rodin depicted the moment when six courageous men offered them-selves as hostages to Edward III, the king of England, in exchange for the liberation of the city of Calais from a siege that had been starving inhabitants for nearly a year. This plaster statue (painted to simulate bronze) was exhibited in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago, and entered the Art Institute’s collection that year.

Status

On View, Gallery 200

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Auguste Rodin

Title

A Burgher of Calais (Jean d'Aire)

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Modeled 1889

Medium

Plaster

Dimensions

208.3 × 66 cm (82 × 26 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Addie M. Hall Ellis

Reference Number

1893.187

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/719/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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