The ''Alsatian Orphan'' / ''L'Orpheline Alsacienne'' is a sculpture made by the French artist
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). In the beginning of his career, Rodin made decorative pieces. This piece was created during this phase.
Description
This bust represents a girl with her head slightly bent to the side. Her childish face expresses a soft melancholy. Her veil is characteristic of the province of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
which was lost in the
Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The bust was described as "''L'exemplaire''" with her veil of silk arranged like a butterfly spreading its wings. The sculpture is considered one of Rodin's first big successes, and exhibited on several occasions between 1871 and 1884 and in several formats, including
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
and
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
.
Work
There are several versions of this work by
Auguste Rodin. Two of them are in exhibition at the
Soumaya Museum in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
.
* ''Huerfana alsaciana'', ''L'Orpheline Alsacienne'' (''Alsatian Orphan''), white marble 39.1 x 22.7 x 19.4cm.
* ''Huerfana alsaciana version con la cabeza derecha'', ''L'Orpheline Alsacienne, version avec tête droit'', (''Alsatian Orphan'', version with head right (or straight)), made 1877-1878 in
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
, 36.2 x 22.3 x 17.7cm.
See also
*
List of sculptures by Auguste Rodin
This article lists a selection of notable works created by Auguste Rodin. The listing follows the books ''Rodin, Vie et Oeuvre'' and ''Rodin''.
Sculptures
Museums
*Albertinum, Dresden
*Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
*Art Institute of ...
References
External links
{{Auguste Rodin
1871 sculptures
Sculptures by Auguste Rodin
Busts (sculpture)
Alsace
Sculptures of children
Sculptures in the Musée Rodin
Sculptures of children in Mexico City
Busts in Mexico