Rooster (Gallic Cock)
Raymond Duchamp-Villon (French, 1876–1918)
1916 (plaster), cast 1919
Medium
painted bronze
Dimensions
43.5 × 36 × 5.5 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of Lucia McCurdy McBride
Accession Number
1972.227
Tags
male
About this artwork
A pioneer of Cubist sculpture, Duchamp-Villon carved the original plaster for this bronze relief while serving in the army during World War I. It was intended for the entrance to a temporary theater erected near the front lines, where French soldiers would have recognized the rooster and rising sun as symbols of victory. Duchamp-Villon died during the war, and in 1919, five bronze casts were made from his plaster as a memorial to the artist.