Which sculpture by Auguste Rodin depicts six citizens carrying the keys of the besieged French town of Calais?

Auguste Rodin’s sculpture of six citizens carrying the keys of besieged Calais is The Burghers of Calais.

Rodin created the monument to commemorate an episode from the Hundred Years’ War. According to Jean Froissart’s account, six leading citizens offered themselves as hostages in 1347 to save Calais after a long English siege. They were expected to appear barefoot and wearing sackcloth while carrying the city’s keys.

Rodin’s figures do not form a single heroic pyramid. Instead, they stand at different heights and appear psychologically distinct, emphasizing fear, exhaustion, duty, and uncertainty. The city originally expected a more conventional monument, and the work’s unusual presentation caused debate.

The first bronze was installed in Calais in 1895. Multiple authorized casts exist in museums and public collections around the world. The sculpture’s title refers to the six men collectively, not to a single named historical figure.