Vase thumbnail 1
Vase thumbnail 2
+6
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Vase

ca. 1876-ca. 1878 (made)
Artist/Maker
Carrier-Belleuse, Albert-Ernest (designer)
Rodin, Auguste (sculptor)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

This group of figures is almost certainly an early work by Rodin (1840-1917), modelled during the period he worked for the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, director of the Sèvres porcelain works. The masterly modelling shows the influence of Michelangelo, whose work Rodin had studied in the Louvre and also during a visit to Italy in 1875-6.

Object details

Object type
Vase
Materials and techniques
Earthenware.
Earthenware
Brief description
Vase des Titans, earthenware, designed by Albert Carrier-Belleuse and sculpted by Auguste Rodin, Paris, France, about 1876-8
Dimensions
  • Height: 36.8cm (whole)
  • Whole diameter: 30.5cm
  • Weight: 14kg
Gallery label
(1987-2006)
VASE DES TITANS

C.44-1970

'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse's workshop produced small-scale sculptural and decorative objects. Here figures by Rodin were assembled by Carrier-Belleuse as a caryatid group. Despite its title, the vase is a section from a much larger scheme which would have also included a column below and a jardinière above. Separate cast of the individual Titans, the originals of which were modelled by Rodin, exist and are frequently used to illustrate the influence on Rodin of his visit to Italy in 1875 and his studies of sculpture by Michelangelo.
Summary
This group of figures is almost certainly an early work by Rodin (1840-1917), modelled during the period he worked for the sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, director of the Sèvres porcelain works. The masterly modelling shows the influence of Michelangelo, whose work Rodin had studied in the Louvre and also during a visit to Italy in 1875-6.
Bibliographic reference
A polychrome version with planter was acquired by the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2003: The Burlington Magazine, no. 1251, VOL CXLIX (June) 2007, p. 454
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.44-1970

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Record createdSeptember 28, 1998
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O9169/vase-carrier-belleuse-albert/
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