Modeled c. 1898; carved 1901
Minerva
Auguste RodinFrench, 1840 - 1917
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Rodin’s model for Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, music, poetry, crafts, and defense, was Marianna Russell (Italian, 1865–1908). Although she wears a helmet and breastplate decorated with a fierce Medusa’s head, this Minerva’s expression emphasizes the goddess’s intellectual and creative qualities.
Russell was a popular artist’s model and had previously posed for French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet’s Joan of Arc.
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