Memorial Relief (Hand of a Child)

1908

Auguste Rodin

Associated Names
Auguste Rodin

Sculptor, French, 1840 - 1917

The sculpture portrays a small hand in relief, emerging from a block of marble. The sculpture is predominantly white, typical of marble, with a contrast in texture between the smooth hand and the rough background. The hand appears to be that of a young child due to its size and delicate structure. The inscription around the hand reads "Offerte à Madame Elysabeth Mermillod en souvenir de sa fille Sally Hicks Croswell," dedicated to a madame in memory of her daughter. The name "A. Rodin" is engraved below the hand, indicating the artist. The sculpture is intimate and personal, with the detailed hand as the focal point amid the marble's natural texture.

Media Options

Skip thumbnail navigation
Back to thumbnail navigation
This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    marble

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Elizabeth Merrill Furness

  • Dimensions

    overall: 40.8 × 32.7 × 14.9 cm, 60 lb. (16 1/16 × 12 7/8 × 5 7/8 in., 27.216 kg)

  • Accession Number

    1982.6.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gift 1908 from the artist to Elizabeth Musgrave Croswell Merrill [Mrs. Charles M. Croswell, later Mrs. Thomas D. Merrill, 1853-1928], Duluth, Minnesota; by inheritance to her daughter, Elizabeth Merrill Hubbard Furness [Mrs. William Coit Hubbard, later Mrs. Thomas F. Furness, 1898-1986], Chicago, and Middleburg, Virginia; gift 1982 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1998

  • Twentieth Century American Sculpture: Inspired by Rodin, The White House, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999.

Bibliography

1927

  • Grappe, Georges. Catalogue du Musée Rodin. Paris, 1927: 102.

1944

  • Grappe, Georges. Catalogue du Musée Rodin. 5th ed. Paris, 1944: 124.

1987

  • Barbier, Nicolle. Marbres de Rodin: collection du musée. Paris, 1987: 82-83.

1994

  • Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: 205, repro.

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: 388-391, color repro.

2009

  • Parshall, Peter, et al. The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900. Exh. cat., Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago. Washington, D.C., 2009: 138, 140 fig. 5.

Inscriptions

on flat surface above the hand: OFFERTE / A MADAME ELYSABETH MERRILL / EN SOUVENIR DE SA FILLE / SALLY HICKS / CROSWELL; on flat surface below the hand: A. RODIN

Wikidata ID

Q63860725

You may be interested in

Loading Results