Rodin's The Burghers of Calais in Calais, France

The Burghers of Calais (Les Bourgeois de Calais) is one of the most famous sculptures by Auguste Rodin, completed in 1888. It serves as a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years War, when Calais, an important French port on the English Channel, was under siege by the English for over a year. The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin, in Calais, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin, in Calais, France Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Location within France The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind J.M.W. Turner: Calais Pier Calais (Dutch: Kales) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is... Auguste Rodin Auguste Rodin (November 12, 1840 – November 17, 1917) was a French sculptor. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... -1... This article is in need of attention. ... Location within France The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind J.M.W. Turner: Calais Pier Calais (Dutch: Kales) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: La Manche, IPA: , the sleeve), also for some time known in England as the British Sea, is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st...

The story goes that England's Edward III laid siege to Calais and Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. Philip failed to lift the siege and starvation eventually forced to city to parlay for surrender. Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. Edward demanded that they walk out almost naked and wearing nooses around their necks and be carrying the keys to the city and castle. One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first and five other burghers soon followed suit and they stripped down to their breaches. Saint Pierre led this envoy of emaciated volunteers to the city gates and it is this moment and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice and the facing one's imminent mortality that Rodin captures in these figures, which are scaled somewhat larger than life. Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English kings of medieval times. ... Location within France The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind J.M.W. Turner: Calais Pier Calais (Dutch: Kales) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is... Philip VI of Valois (French: Philippe VI de Valois; 1293 – August 22, 1350) was the King of France from 1328 to his death, and Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois 1325–1328. ...

In history, though the burghers expected to be executed, their lives were spared by the intervention of England's Queen, Philippa of Hainault. Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (~1314 - August 15, 1369) was the Queen consort of Edward III of England. ...

The Burghers of Calais in Victoria Tower Gardens, London, England. Under French law no more than twelve casts of this piece were permitted after Rodin’s death. The London casting, purchased by the British Government in 1911, is one of them

The monument was proposed by the mayor of Calais for the town's square in 1880. This was an unusual move, because normally only monuments to Victory were constructed, but France had suffered devastating losses in its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and it longed to recognize the sacrifice that its young men had made. Rodin's design was controversial, as it did not present the burghers in a heroic manner, rather they appeared sullen and worn. The monument was innovative in that it presented the burghers at the same level as the viewers, rather than on a traditional pedestal, although until 1924 the city council of Calais, against Rodin's wishes, displayed the statue on an elevated base. The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin, in Victoria Tower Gardens, London, England. ... The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin, in Victoria Tower Gardens, London, England. ... The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London (see Wiktionary:London for the name in other languages) is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

While the original statue still stands in Calais, other versions stand in

• Victoria Tower Gardens in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament in London
• the gardens of the Musée Rodin in Paris
• the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia
• the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California
• at Stanford University in California *
• the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
• the sculpture garden of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.
• the Israel Museum in Jerusalem
• the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• at Glyptoteket in Copenhagen, and
• the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo

Note: * Stanford's Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts has several smaller studies of this work. Note that Stanford's installation is as Rodin wanted: mounted flush with the lawn of the Main Quad. Victoria Tower Gardens is a public park along the north bank of the River Thames in London. ... This may refer to the: British Houses of Parliament. ... The Houses of Parliament and the clock tower containing Big Ben Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London (see Wiktionary:London for the name in other languages) is the capital of the United Kingdom and England. ... The Musée Rodin in Paris is a museum that was opened in 1919 in the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds. ... The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, has become the international symbol of the city. ... The Rodin Museum, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, contains the largest collection of sculptor Auguste Rodins works outside Paris. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... The Norton Simon Museum is an art museum located in Pasadena, California, originally known by several other names. ... Pasadena is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university in Stanford, California, USA. Located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County adjacent to the city of Palo Alto, Stanford lies at the... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Categories: Museum stubs | Museums in Washington, DC | Art museums and galleries in the U.S. | Smithsonian Institution | National Mall ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, was founded in 1965 as Israels national museum. ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), the capital city of the State of Israel, is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ... National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia is a major art gallery (museum) in Canberra, Australia. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... Copenhagen (Danish: København) is the capital of Denmark, and the name of the municipality (Danish, kommune) in which it resides. ... Tokyo ) (help· info), literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized downtown area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Stanford University Museum of Art (SUMA) is associated with Stanford University and was established 1891 (simultaneous with the University) by Leland and Jane Stanford. ...

See also

• Siege of Calais

Musée Rodin

As the sculpture appears in the Main Quad at Stanford University.