Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose 1863-64, Musée Rodin cast 3/12 probably in the 1970s Bronze 12 ½  x  7 ¼  x  6 in. Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation Rodin considered The Man With the Broken Nose to be his first major work. He began the portrait in 1863 intending to submit it to the Paris Salon as his debut sculpture. Rodin hired a neighborhood handyman, nicknamed Bibi, to model for him. He was very drawn to Bibi's features and wanted to depict him as he was— broken nose and all. He portrayed his face with features characteristic of Greek sculpture: blank eyes and classically modeled hair, however, Rodin's work was innovative because of its use of expressive naturalism as opposed to the idealism of classical sculpture. The Man with the Broken Nose became The Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose when the cold conditions of Rodin's studio caused the back of the head to freeze and break off. Rodin, favoring the element of chance, wanted to exhibit the portrait bust as it was. He continued to work on it for over a year before submitting it to the Salon. Much to his disappointment, the Salon rejected the work twice during 1864 and 1865. Rodin continued to draw inspiration from The Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose, using a second version in The Gates of Hell as well as other subsequent works.