Andrieu d'Andres at The Musée Rodin, Paris

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Human: Often called 'The Weeping Burgher', this sculpture by Rodin depicts Andrieu d'Andres as he is led to his death. The French Third Republic sought to revitalize notions of heroism and citizenship after its humiliating defeat at the hands of Prussia in 1870. In 1884, the city council of Calais commissioned Rodin to create a monument to Eustache de Saint-Pierre. In 1347, while Calais was under siege by the English, Eustache and five other important citizens of the town had offered themselves as hostages, pleading for mercy on behalf of their long-suffering city. Rodin proposed a conventional monument in his first maquette of 1884, with figures united as a group on a tall pedestal. However, by the following year, the six figures were placed on a low rectangular plinth at the same level as the viewer. As Rodin later wrote: "I wanted to place my statues in front of the Calais city hall on the very paving of the square like a living rosary of suffering and sacrifice." Rodin first made nude figure studies, which he then draped in wet canvas to model the sackcloth worn by the burghers when they surrendered. To create the expressive figures possible, he used the radical technique of combining studies of hands and feet from different figures. Rodin set out the terms of a modern anti-monumental tradition with this sculpture, one that resonates strongly today. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, which aims to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from around the globe for public access at no cost. Scan the World is an open source community effort. If you have interesting items around you that you'd like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.