Jules Dalou (1838–1902)

Auguste Rodin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dalou was one of the most successful sculptors of public monuments in late nineteenth-century Paris. Here, Rodin has immortalized his friend by depicting him bare-chested in an ancient, heroic fashion. Dalou’s sharp features, tensed neck, and bony chest are subtly modeled to convey his austere character and pay tribute to his naturalistic style. Soon after creating the portrait, the two sculptors would end their long friendship with mutual hard feelings over the commissioning of a monument to Victor Hugo planned for the Panthéon.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art