Ugolino and his Sons: Fifth Day (recto); Dante and Virgil: Anatomical Studies (verso)

Auguste Rodin

ca. 1875–1880 · Pen and brown ink, graphite, and traces of brown ink wash on graph paper · Drawings and Prints

Drawing was essential to Rodin’s process of translating episodes from Dante Alighieri’s medieval epic "Inferno" into visual form for his monumental commission "The Gates of Hell." The story of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, a traitor who was imprisoned, condemned to starvation, and ultimately resorted to eating the flesh of his own sons, particularly captured Rodin’s imagination. His depiction emphasizes their agony by exposing the tense musculature in their tormented bodies.

Artist

Auguste Rodin

Date

ca. 1875–1880

Medium

Pen and brown ink, graphite, and traces of brown ink wash on graph paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Anonymous Gift, 2012