  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  Early in his career, Auguste Rodin found work in the Paris atelier of ornamental sculptor Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse modeling figures for interior schemes and decorative objects. He remained in Carrier-Belleuse&acirc;&#128;&#153;s employ from 1864 to 1872; four years later, he made his first journey to Italy. There he found inspiration in the expressive physicality of Michelangelo&acirc;&#128;&#153;s work, and he returned with a transformed vision of the human figure, seen in the highly naturalistic male nude, The Age of Bronze, 1876 (DIA 69.304). His new approach is also seen in the monumental proportions and elastic postures of the titans he modeled for Carrier-Belleuse&acirc;&#128;&#153;s polychrome vase. Seated on a plinth, these pre-Olympian gods twist and strain under the weight of the wide-mouthed urn that they support on their shoulders. Garlanded with oak leaves and bright blue skinks, this is one of only two early polychrome versions of the vase known to survive intact.
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
  
  
  Title
  Vase of the Titans
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1877 and 1879
  
  
  
  
  Makers
  
  
  Auguste Rodin  (Artist)
  French, 1840-1917
  Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse  (Designer)
  French, 1824-1887
  
  
  
  Medium
  Glazed polychromed terracotta
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 28 3/8 &Atilde;&#151; 19 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 19 3/4 inches (72.1 &Atilde;&#151; 50.2 &Atilde;&#151; 50.2 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Ceramics
  
  
  Department
  European Modern Art to 1970
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2003.32
  
  
  Copyright
  Copyright Not Evaluated
  
  
  
