Jean d'Aire, Burgher of Calais

In 1884 the municipality of Calais commissioned Rodin to create a monument in honour of the six leading citizens who, during the siege of 1346–47 in the Hundred Years’ War, described by the chronicler Jean Froissart, surrendered themselves as hostages to King Edward III of England to save the town. The monument, finished in 1895, would ultimately be installed in the traditional manner, contrary to the wishes of the artist, who wanted to see the group elevated or close to the ground to accentuate the suffering of the condemned.

The colossal figures, profoundly individualised and set on a shared base, are dressed in robes, with ropes around their necks and bare feet, their gestures and expressions conveying feelings of despair, fear, resignation and dignity. Jean d’Aire, with an emaciated face and sunken eyes, stands out with his stoic air and holds the keys to the city in his enormous hands as a sign of submission, an aspect that accentuates the dimension of the sacrifice that destiny seems to have in store for him.

Of all the figures in the group, Jean d’Aire was the one that gave rise to the largest number of replicas. Rodin kept this bronze in his possession until his death in 1917.