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The Sirens (Les Sirènes)

European Art

On View:
The sirens are the part-bird, part-woman characters of Greek mythology whose enchanting songs lured unwary sailors to their deaths in Homer’s Odyssey. Rodin considered their tale of deception and death an appropriate subject for The Gates of Hell, where they appear in the left panel.
MEDIUM Bronze
  • Place Made: France
  • DATES 1880s, cast 1967
    DIMENSIONS 17 × 17 1/4 × 12 5/8 in., 45.5 lb. (43.2 × 43.8 × 32.1 cm, 20.64kg)  (show scale)
    MARKINGS Back of base to the right: ".Georges Rudier. Fondeur. Paris." Proper left edge: "© by Musée Rodin 1967"
    SIGNATURE Below the knees of the middle figure: "A. Rodin"; Interior, front of base, raised cachet: "A. Rodin"
    COLLECTIONS European Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 86.87.1
    CREDIT LINE Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917). The Sirens (Les Sirènes), 1880s, cast 1967. Bronze, 17 × 17 1/4 × 12 5/8 in., 45.5 lb. (43.2 × 43.8 × 32.1 cm, 20.64kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 86.87.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.87.1_SL3.jpg)
    EDITION Edition: 5/12
    IMAGE overall, 86.87.1_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2023
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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