T
© Copyrighted Artwork
This artwork is protected by copyright. We cannot display images of works by artists who passed away after 1954.
See the original at Musée Rodin in Paris
The Gates of Hell
by Auguste Rodin, 1917
Details
- Year
- 1917
- Medium
- Bronze
- Size
- 635 cm × 400 cm × 85 cm
Auguste Rodin began The Gates of Hell in 1880 after receiving a commission for bronze doors intended for a new decorative arts museum in Paris. The museum was never built, but Rodin worked on the project for 37 years, creating what would become the defining work of his career. The monumental bronze portal stands 6 meters high, 4 meters wide, and contains over 180 figures inspired by Dante's Inferno.
The gates served as a creative laboratory where Rodin developed many of his most famous independent works. The Thinker sits at the top as Dante surveying his creation, while The Three Shades stand above him. Paolo and Francesca, later known as The Kiss, originally appeared on the left door. Rodin continually added, removed, and rearranged figures throughout his life. The gates were never cast in bronze during his lifetime. The first casts were made in the 1920s, with one now displayed at the Musée Rodin in Paris.
