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Beside the Sea

ca. 1907
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800
Devoid of the psychic tensions that energize Rodin’s early compositions, this restful bather embodies the serenity typical of his late marbles. With its self-content aura of quiet, the figure recalls the voluptuous nudes painted by Rodin’s contemporary Auguste Renoir. Rodin hung one of Renoir’s paintings, Nude in the Sunlight (ca. 1880; Musée Rodin, Paris), above his desk, stating: "The torso of this young woman is pure sculpture." Beside the Sea was selected for The Met by John Marshall, a founder of the Rodin collection, during a 1907 visit to the sculptor’s studio. It is the only marble version of the subject.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Beside the Sea
  • Artist: Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)
  • Date: ca. 1907
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: Overall (wt. confirmed): 23 1/2 × 34 1/2 × 23 1/4 in., 527 lb. (59.7 × 87.6 × 59.1 cm, 239 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910
  • Object Number: 11.173.5
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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