Plaster Study for Monument to BalzacAuguste Rodin

Commissioned in 1891 by the Société des Gens de Lettres, this plaster study by Auguste Rodin for the Monument to Balzac reflects a seven-year exploration of the novelist’s essence. Instead of a literal likeness, the sculpture captures Balzac’s genius, enveloped in a robe. Initially controversial and rejected in 1898, the work was later cast in bronze after Rodin’s death.