Adam, Repeated Three Times: The Three Shades

The Three Shades takes the Adam figure from the left side of The Gates of Hell, which we've just seen, as its base, applying a slight modification and repeating the same form three times. Taking a sculpture he'd already made and recombining or rearranging it was a signature method of Rodin's, and here, starting from the Adam figure, he bent the head sharply downward until the neck and shoulders fell nearly level. Then he lined up three identical casts in a row so their tops formed a single straight line — an unusually bold and novel composition for its time.

In sculpting this piece, Rodin once again drew on Renaissance masters. The three figures symbolize lust, power, and greed, inspired by characters from Dante's Divine Comedy. The piece was originally meant to sit atop The Gates of Hell, and for this, Rodin looked to the Florence Baptistery of San Giovanni — three figures also sit above the Gates of Paradise there, and it was that composition that inspired The Three Shades.

Move in closer and look at the faces, and you'll notice a peaceful expression, almost as if the figures were asleep. That expression closely echoes Michelangelo's Dying Slave, now housed at the Louvre. It's a clear illustration of how Rodin, who was a frequent visitor to the Louvre, drew endless inspiration from ancient and Renaissance sculpture.