Mask of Rose Beuret

Auguste Rodin

ca. 1880–82 or 1898 · Cast plaster · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This is a cast of the final portrait Rodin made of Rose Beuret, one of his first models and his companion of fifty-three years. An uneducated woman from the countryside, she maintained Rodin’s studio in their youthful poverty, bore his son, and served him throughout her life. Here, Rodin captures their enigmatic relationship by modeling her face as a mask with downcast eyes.

Artist

Auguste Rodin

Date

ca. 1880–82 or 1898

Medium

Cast plaster

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 1984