Dante
Mask
ca. 1908 (made)
ca. 1908 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Auguste Rodin’s career maps the progress of 19th-century art, from the Romantic revolt against Neo-classicism, to the radical enquiry that paved the way for the Modernist developments of the 20th century. The V&A’s collection of works by Rodin is unique in that they were given by the artist, to represent his art in Britain and commemorate British soldiers fighting in France in November 1914. In 1880 Rodin gained his first state commission, the bronze Gates of Hell for a proposed museum of decorative arts in Paris. He based them initially on Dante’s poem Inferno, and many of his later compositions stem from this project. This small head is actually a portrait of a wealthy American, John Wesley de Kay.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Dante (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Terracotta |
Brief description | Mask, Dante, terracotta, by Auguste Rodin, France (Paris), ca. 1908 |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Rodin in 1914 |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | Auguste Rodin’s career maps the progress of 19th-century art, from the Romantic revolt against Neo-classicism, to the radical enquiry that paved the way for the Modernist developments of the 20th century. The V&A’s collection of works by Rodin is unique in that they were given by the artist, to represent his art in Britain and commemorate British soldiers fighting in France in November 1914. In 1880 Rodin gained his first state commission, the bronze Gates of Hell for a proposed museum of decorative arts in Paris. He based them initially on Dante’s poem Inferno, and many of his later compositions stem from this project. This small head is actually a portrait of a wealthy American, John Wesley de Kay. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | A.50-1914 |
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Record created | April 18, 2005 |
Record URL |
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