The Gates of Hell

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The Gates of Hell

sculpture by Rodin

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June 29, 2026

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The Gates of Hell is a monumental sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin, inspired by Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy, specifically its first part, the Inferno. Commissioned in 1880 for a planned museum in Paris, the doors were never completed during Rodin's lifetime.123

The sculpture depicts scenes of torment and suffering from Dante's vision of Hell. Prominent figures within The Gates of Hell include *The Thinker*, originally conceived as a representation of Dante himself, contemplating the suffering souls below. Other figures, such as Paolo and Francesca, also appear in the work.123

Rodin continued to rework elements from The Gates of Hell throughout his career, exhibiting them as independent pieces. The Rodin Museum in Paris houses many of his works, including The Gates of Hell and The Thinker.134

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Camille Claudel
…of that period, particularly to The Gates of Hell. She continued to live at home until 1888, when she moved to her own quarters near Rodin’s studio at La Folie Neubourg. By 1892 her relationship with Rodin had begun to crumble, and by 1893 she was both living and working…
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…of that period, particularly to The Gates of Hell. She continued to live at home until 1888, when she moved to her own quarters near Rodin’s studio at La Folie Neubourg. By 1892 her relationship with Rodin had begun to crumble, and by 1893 she was both living and working…
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Auguste Rodin
Toward the achievement of his art
…it came to be called The Gates of Hell. His original conception was similar to that of the 15th-century Italian sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti in his The Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery in Florence. His plans were profoundly altered, however, by his visit to London in 1881 at the…
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…it came to be called The Gates of Hell. His original conception was similar to that of the 15th-century Italian sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti in his The Gates of Paradise doors for the Baptistery in Florence. His plans were profoundly altered, however, by his visit to London in 1881 at the…
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Western sculpture
19th-century beginnings
…the masterpiece of modern sculpture, The Gates of Hell, undertaken by Rodin in 1880 and never really completed. It was inevitable that the translucent nature of the marble surface should engage the attention of Rodin, and even though he always prepared the models in clay and left the execution in…
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…the masterpiece of modern sculpture, The Gates of Hell, undertaken by Rodin in 1880 and never really completed. It was inevitable that the translucent nature of the marble surface should engage the attention of Rodin, and even though he always prepared the models in clay and left the execution in…
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relief
…Auguste Rodin in his famous Gates of Hell and other reliefs. Relief techniques came to be used in 20th-century modern art for abstract compositions that emphasized spatial recession and contrasts of light and shade. Reliefs were also a feature in pre-Columbian and Asian Indian sculpture.
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…Auguste Rodin in his famous Gates of Hell and other reliefs. Relief techniques came to be used in 20th-century modern art for abstract compositions that emphasized spatial recession and contrasts of light and shade. Reliefs were also a feature in pre-Columbian and Asian Indian sculpture.
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Rodin Museum
…showcased in the gardens opposite The Gates of Hell, a work that consumed him over the last three decades of his life. Rodin died before completing this sculpture, which embodies scenes from Dante’s Inferno. Other statues found in the garden include Balzac and The Burghers of Calais. Rodin created many…
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…showcased in the gardens opposite The Gates of Hell, a work that consumed him over the last three decades of his life. Rodin died before completing this sculpture, which embodies scenes from Dante’s Inferno. Other statues found in the garden include Balzac and The Burghers of Calais. Rodin created many…
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