Which 1898 sculpture by Auguste Rodin depicts a woman reclining with her head near a rock?

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The Dream is the 1898 Auguste Rodin sculpture depicting a reclining woman with her head near a rock.

Rodin produced several sculptures of reclining or sleeping figures, and their titles can be difficult to distinguish. The Dream is associated with a woman resting in a vulnerable, inward-looking pose. Its composition reflects Rodin’s interest in incomplete forms, shifting viewpoints, and the expressive possibilities of the body at rest.

The sculpture belongs to the mature period of Rodin’s career, when he frequently explored variations rather than treating each version as a single fixed design. Different casts, sizes, and materials can therefore make comparisons between photographs and museum labels confusing.

The work should not be mixed up with The Danaid, another famous reclining figure by Rodin, or with The Eternal Idol, which presents an upright relationship between a kneeling woman and a male torso. Those works share themes of repose and intimacy but have different compositions and titles.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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