Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). <em>Pierre de Wiessant, Reduction (Pierre de Wissant, réduction)</em>, 1895 or 1899; cast before 1952. Bronze, 17 7/8 x 8 3/4 x 8 in. (45.4 x 22.2 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.210.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.210.8_bw.jpg)

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Pierre de Wiessant, Reduction (Pierre de Wissant, réduction), 1895 or 1899; cast before 1952. Bronze, 17 7/8 x 8 3/4 x 8 in. (45.4 x 22.2 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.210.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.210.8_bw.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Tell me more.

This small sculpture shows one of the Burghers of Calais, Pierre de Weissant. Weissant was the fourth burgher to sacrifice himself to the English in exchange for an end to the siege on his city. Rodin or someone in his workshop would have used a pointing device called a Collas Machine to create this reduced version.

Is this made of bronze? What prevents it from rusting?

It is indeed made of bronze. Rather than rust, bronze develops a patina on the surface. This is a chemical reaction to oxygen that changes the color of the surface.

Oh thank you!

What is plaster?

Plaster is a paste typically made from lime or gypsum, water and sand. At first it is liquid and can be cast in a mold which quickly hardens.

Sculptors often use plaster to make copies or molds of their clay art. In Rodin's case, these plaster molds were then filled with bronze to make the final sculptures.

Rodin made several versions of the Burgers of Calais, including smaller copies such as the one you see here.

Interesting! I have learned so much!

Did Rodin create this miniature sculpture from a Burgher before the taller one?

This is a reduced version of the final (larger) sculpture, so, in this case, the larger one was created first. Nearby there is another small figure made in 1885. That one was a Maquette (study) produced before the large monument.

Like most sculptors of his day, Rodin produced reductions of his sculptures. He never limited the number of casts produced in his lifetime (after his death, the French state started to number and restrict casts).

Pierre de Wiessant, Reduction (Pierre de Wissant, réduction)

European Art

Rodin began to issue reductions of the burghers (all but Jacques de Wiessant) at the same time as The Burghers of Calais was unveiled, suggesting that he anticipated the popularity of figures derived from his monument.

ARTIST Auguste Rodin, French, 1840–1917

CAST BY Alexis Rudier Fondeur, Paris

MEDIUM Bronze

Place Made: France

DATES 1895 or 1899; cast before 1952

DIMENSIONS 17 7/8 x 8 3/4 x 8 in. (45.4 x 22.2 x 20.3 cm) (show scale)

MARKINGS Back, lower edge of base, behind proper right foot: "ALEXIS RUDIER/FONDEUR. PARIS."

SIGNATURE Near proper left foot: "A. Rodin" Raised stamp inside lower edge by proper left foot: "M./A. Rodin"

COLLECTIONS European Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 84.210.8

CREDIT LINE Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). Pierre de Wiessant, Reduction (Pierre de Wissant, réduction), 1895 or 1899; cast before 1952. Bronze, 17 7/8 x 8 3/4 x 8 in. (45.4 x 22.2 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 84.210.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 84.210.8_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 84.210.8_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.