Rooster (Gallic Cock)

About the 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.

Provenance

John Quinn 1927: Lucia McCurdy McBride John Quinn; Lucia McCurdy McBride, 1927

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973). Circa 1930. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 12-October 31, 1983).

Quick Overview

Artist: Raymond Duchamp-Villon (French, 1876–1918)
Date: 1916 (plaster), cast 1919
Medium: painted bronze
Dimensions: Overall: 43.5 x 36 x 5.5 cm (17 1/8 x 14 3/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
Type: Sculpture
Classification: Sculpture
Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Credit line: Bequest of Lucia McCurdy McBride
Accession no.: 1972.227

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.