What was the name of the model for Rodin’s The Age of Bronze?

The model for Rodin’s The Age of Bronze was the Belgian soldier Auguste Neyt.

Rodin made the sculpture after observing Neyt, whose athletic body provided the basis for the standing male figure. The work was originally titled The Vanquished, a reference often connected with the figure’s pose and the aftermath of conflict. It was later known as The Age of Bronze.

When the sculpture was exhibited in 1877, some critics accused Rodin of making a cast directly from a living model. The unusually naturalistic surface and lifelike proportions contributed to the controversy. Rodin defended his process, and photographs and testimony helped establish that he had modeled the figure rather than simply casting Neyt’s body.

The episode ultimately increased public attention to Rodin. The Age of Bronze became an important early demonstration of his interest in movement, bodily realism, and the expressive possibilities of the human figure.