Who sculpted 'The Burghers of Calais'?

Who sculpted “The Burghers of Calais”? Auguste Rodin sculpted it. The bronze group was commissioned by the city of Calais in 1884 and completed in 1889, commemorating six citizens who offered themselves during the city’s surrender in the Hundred Years’ War.

According to the medieval chronicler Jean Froissart, King Edward III demanded six leading citizens walk to him carrying the keys to Calais, wearing ropes around their necks. Eustache de Saint Pierre volunteered first, followed by Jacques and Pierre de Wissant, Jean de Fiennes, Andrieu d’Andres, and Jean d’Aire. The story says Queen Philippa persuaded Edward to spare them.

Rodin’s interpretation was controversial because it showed the men anxious, isolated, and burdened rather than arranged as a triumphant heroic monument. He also wanted the sculpture placed at ground level, allowing viewers to encounter the figures almost face-to-face. The work is often confused with a conventional statue of Saint Pierre, but it depicts all six burghers.