ELYSE NELSON: There is a sense of a rarified woman in this portrait.

NARRATOR: The sculpture portrays Anna de Noailles, a poet, novelist, and prominent member of the Parisian literati at the turn of the century. She sent some of her poems to Rodin, and they struck up a friendship. But according to de Noailles, Rodin was moved to sculpt her primarily because of her beauty. Research Associate Elyse Nelson:

ELYSE NELSON:

She had dark eyes and dark hair, and quite striking features. When the portrait was finished, however, she rejected it outright. She was dissatisfied most of all with the prominence given to her nose. And when she complained to Rodin about it, he said he would not change it because it was, in fact, true to nature.

NARRATOR: When representatives from The Met visited Rodin’s Paris studio and saw the rejected plaster bust, they commissioned this version in marble for the museum. Rodin relied on master craftsmen to execute his marbles. They carved to his specifications, working off his models in clay and plaster. Here, he directed the carver to leave the base looking unfinished.

ELYSE NELSON: The thing that strikes me about this work is there's this rough materiality to the base, and then an almost otherworldly grace to her head and shoulders. That juxtaposition leads one to interpret the work as though it's still being formed. This idea that her portrait is kind of coming into being before the viewer is something that Rodin was interested in, and wanted to convey.