Why it matters
A naked couple embrace in white marble: Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo from Dante's Inferno, who fell in love while reading about Lancelot and Guinevere. Their lips do not actually touch.
Did you know?
- The couple were originally part of Rodin's Gates of Hell.
- Critics suggested the title The Kiss when they first saw it in 1887.
- The book is still visible in Paolo's hand.
- At the 1893 Chicago World's Fair a bronze version was kept in a separate room, viewable only on request.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Kiss (Rodin sculpture) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
