The Thinker

Parkway

Rodin Museum

The Thinker

Modeled 1880-1881, enlarged 1902-1904; cast 1919

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris (1874–1952)

Auguste Rodin originally conceived a smaller version of this sculpture to sit atop his monumental bronze portal entitled The Gates of Hell (1880-1917). The figure was intended to represent Italian poet Dante Alighieri pondering The Divine Comedy, his epic story of Paradise and Inferno. However, in 1889 Rodin exhibited the sculpture independently of The Gates, giving it the title The Thinker, and in 1902 he embarked on this larger version.

Rodin Museum, Parkway

Object Details

Titles:

The Thinker

Date:

Modeled 1880-1881, enlarged 1902-1904; cast 1919

Artists:

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) Cast by the founder Alexis Rudier, Paris (1874–1952)

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

6 feet 7 inches × 51 1/4 inches × 55 1/4 inches (200.7 × 130.2 × 140.3 cm)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

Bequest of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929

Accession Number:

F1929-7-123

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

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Parkway

Rodin Museum