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Alsatian Orphan

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Alsatian Orphan
at Musée des beaux-arts in Reims
ArtistAuguste Rodin
Year1871

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

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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, northern France which was lost in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The bust was described as "L'exemplaire"[why?] with her veil of silk arranged like a butterfly spreading its wings.[1][2] 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 and terracotta.

Work

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There are several versions of this work by Auguste Rodin. Two of them are in exhibition at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City.

  • 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, 36.2 x 22.3 x 17.7cm.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Musée Rodin" (in French). Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Huérfana alsaciana / L'Orpheline Alsacienne". Musée Rodin (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  3. ^ La puerta del infierno (in Spanish). Fundación Carlos Slim, A.C. 2016. pp. 22–23.
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Media related to Orpheline Alsacienne by Auguste Rodin at Wikimedia Commons