This rare magnificent ensemble of bronze sculptures captures the detail of the original. The Burghers of Calais (Les Bourgeois de Calais) is one of the most famous sculptures by Auguste Rodin, completed in 1889. It serves as a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years' War, when Calais, an important French port on the English Channel, was under siege by the English for over a year.
The story goes that England's Edward III, after a victory in the Battle of Crécy, laid siege to Calais, while Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. Philip failed to lift the siege, and starvation eventually forced the city to parley for surrender.
Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. Edward demanded that they walk out almost naked, wearing nooses around their necks, and carrying the keys to the city and castle. One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first, and five other burghers soon followed suit, stripping down to their breeches. Saint Pierre led this envoy of emaciated volunteers to the city gates. It was this moment, and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice, and willingness to face imminent death that Rodin captured in his sculpture, scaled somewhat larger than life.
In history, though the burghers expected to be executed, their lives were spared by the intervention of England's Queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming that their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child.
The names of the six men are:
1. Eustache de Saint-Pierre - the bearded man, is the richest, oldest, and most prominent citizen of the group and the first to volunteer.
2. Jean d’Aire - the second to volunteer, stands firmly in place, his jaw set, holding one of the keys to the city.
3. Jacques de Wiessant - the third to volunteer, has one arm raised and stands behind Eustache de Saint-Pierre
4. Pierre de Wiessant - Jacques de Wiessant’s younger brother and the fourth to volunteer, turns sideways toward Jean de Fiennes with one arm raised and his mouth open.
5. Jean de Fiennes - the youngest burgher, stands with arms outstretched and mouth open.
6. Andrieu d’Andres - buries his head in his hands. His bent posture and enormous hands obscure his face.
Click the Play Button for your option to view this Sculpture with the Music of Mozart in the Background
