August Rodin
French, 1840-1917
A Burgher of Calais (Pierre de Wissant), designed 1884-85, cast about 1899-1905/06
Bronze
Museum purchase with additional contributions 1968.19

Shaping Emotion
In 1884, Rodin was approached by the mayor of Calais, France, to create a monument to the six burghers, or citizens, who sacrificed themselves in 1347 to end a siege on their town during the Hundred Years’ War. Their lives were spared, but Rodin depicted them in expectation of their deaths. This study of the “fourth burgher” Pierre de Wiessant demonstrates Rodin’s remarkable skill to convey intense emotion in his sculpted figures. Rather than idealizing the men, he sought to capture the physical and psychological tension of the moment.