One of the most famous pieces of sculpture ever created was The Thinker by Auguste Rodin.
The Thinker is a large muscular male figure sitting on a rock with his back hunched forward and his chin resting on his hand. What may be surprising to know is that Rodin originally created a 70cm version in 1880 as part of a larger piece based on Dante’s Inferno. This piece, which was originally titled The Poet, was created as a representation of Dante, and was commissioned for a pair of bronze doors for a new museum in Paris. When the museum plans fell through, Rodin started recreating the piece on a much larger scale and changed the title to The Thinker. While many feel the subject of the piece was Dante, in other sculptures of the poet, he is portrayed as slender and less muscular. It was originally shown in 1904 and purchased by the French government in 1906.