Head of Balzac

model 1897, cast probably early 20th century

Auguste Rodin

Sculptor, French, 1840 - 1917

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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G2

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    bronze

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson

  • Dimensions

    overall: 16.5 x 20.9 x 18.1 cm (6 1/2 x 8 1/4 x 7 1/8 in.)

  • Accession

    1942.5.14

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Acquired 1903 from the artist by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Simpson, New York; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1908

  • Renaissance and Modern Bronzes, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1908, no. 167.

1946

  • Rodin: Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1946, no. 10.

1965

  • Wax Sculptures by Degas, Sculptures and Drawings by Rodin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965-1966, no cat.

1974

  • Nineteenth-Century Sculpture, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1974, unnumbered checklist.

Bibliography

1898

  • Alexandre, Arsène. Le Balzac de Rodin. Paris, 1898.

1899

  • Ferry, Gabriel. "La statue de Balzac." Le Monde Moderne 10 (1899): 641ff.

1927

  • Grappe, Georges. Catalogue du Musée Rodin. Paris, 1927: 77-78.

1934

  • Morhardt, Mathias. "La bataille du Balzac." Mercure de France (15 December 1934): 463-489.

1936

  • Cladel, Judith. Rodin: Sa vie glorieuse, sa vie inconnue. Paris, 1936: 182-224.

1944

  • Grappe, Georges. Catalogue du Musée Rodin. 5th ed. Paris, 1944: 98-99.

1952

  • Goldscheider, Cécile. "La Genèse d'une oeuvre: La Balzac de Rodin." La Revue des Arts 1 (1952): 37-44.

1964

  • de Caso, Jacques. "Rodin and the Cult of Balzac." The Burlington Magazine 106 (1964): 279-284.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 168.

1967

  • Descharnes, Robert, and Jean-François Chabrun. Auguste Rodin. Lausanne, 1967: 164-175.

  • Spear, Athena Tacha. Rodin Sculpture in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, 1967: 9-30, 91-93.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 148, repro.

1973

  • Elsen, Albert E., Stephen C. McGough, and Steven H. Wander. Rodin & Balzac. Beverly Hills, 1973.

1976

  • Tancock, John. The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin. Philadelphia, 1976: 425-459.

1977

  • de Caso, Jacques, and Patricia B. Sanders. Rodin's Sculpture: A Critical Study of the Spreckels Collection. San Francisco, 1977: 237-241.

1986

  • Lampert, Catherine. Rodin: Sculpture & Drawings. Exh. cat. Hayward Gallery, London, 1986: 126-129.

1988

  • Beausire, Alain. Quand Rodin Exposait. Paris, 1988: 208, 210, 218, 219, 235, 242, 245, 253, 273, 315.

1993

  • Butler, Ruth. Rodin. The Shape of Genius. New Haven and London, 1993: 252-256, 285-294, 299-305, 315-329.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 203, repro.

1998

  • Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette. Le Balzac de Rodin. Paris, 1998.

  • Porter, John R., and Yves Lacasse. Rodin à Québec. Quebec, 1998: 113-119.

2000

  • Butler, Ruth, and Suzanne Glover Lindsay, with Alison Luchs, Douglas Lewis, Cynthia J. Mills, and Jeffrey Weidman. European Sculpture of the Nineteenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2000: 360-363, color repro.

2015

  • Barbour, Daphne, and Lisha Deming Glinsman. "August Rodin's Lifetime Bronze Sculptures in the Simpson Collection." Facture: conservation, science, art history 2 (2015): 54-81, fig. 3.

2023

  • De Margerie, Laure. French Sculpture: An American Passion. Ghent, 2023: 376.

Inscriptions

on lower back in left corner: A. Rodin; sticker on the interior: MFA / Simpson

Wikidata ID

Q63809259

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