In 1858, to help support his family, Rodin began working commercially in the decorative arts. Urban Paris was in the throes of transformation; the Medieval city was making way for the Paris we know today.  Statues and other ornamental sculptures were being erected in public places throughout the city, and artists were hired to work on these projects. For several years Rodin labored for others by day and tried to fulfill his personal artistic aspirations by night.

Grief-stricken by the unexpected death of his sister in 1862, Rodin briefly joined a Catholic order. The founder of the order quickly detected monastic life was not Rodin's true calling.  Instead the young man was encouraged to make art, and it revived him. Ultimately he was convinced to leave the monastery to pursue his dream of being a sculptor.

Once again supporting himself by working for decorative sculptors, Rodin rented a small, cold, drafty stable as his first studio. In the fall of 1863 he began a portrait bust that he intended to submit as his debut sculpture to the Paris Salon – the official annual public exhibition. Acceptance to the Salon was very competitive.  It could make or break an artist's reputation because its official prizes greatly influenced what was bought by collectors.
 

For the first time, Rodin hired a model to sit for him. The model was not a professional, but rather a neighborhood handyman named Bibi. Rodin was drawn to his rough features and wanted to depict him as he was – broken nose and all. His intended The [Head of the] Man with the Broken Nose became The Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose when the cold in Rodin's studio caused the back of the in-progress clay head to freeze and break off. Rodin, favoring the element of chance, accepted the head as a mask.  He worked on it for over a year before submitting it to the Salon. He considered it to be his earliest major work and later described it as the first exceptional piece of modeling he ever did.  Much to his disappointment, the Salon rejected the work twice, in 1864 and 1865.

During this time Rodin met Rose Beuret.  She became his model and lifetime companion, remaining completely devoted to him. In 1866 she gave birth to their son, although Rodin never acknowledged legal paternity.