Fallen Caryatid Carrying an Urn

Auguste Rodin|Coubertin Foundry

modeled 1883, cast 1981 · Bronze · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Fallen Caryatid Carrying an Urn, originally titled Sorrow, was considered by Rodin and his contemporaries as among his best compositions. Unlike the standing caryatids (female support figures) of classical tradition, Rodin’s version folds into herself, compressed beneath the weight of the vessel she carries. In another large variant, the caryatid bears a massive rock that the poet Rainer Maria Rilke metaphorically described as the "burden . . . from which we can find no escape."

Artist

Auguste Rodin|Coubertin Foundry

Date

modeled 1883, cast 1981

Medium

Bronze

Culture

French

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, 1985