Rodin continued to produce casts of the statue for several decades after it was modelled in 1876.

The pose partly derives from Michelangelo's Dying Slave in the Louvre Museum, which has the elbow raised above the head.

[citation needed] When the statue was first exhibited at the 1877 Salon in Paris, France, Rodin was falsely accused of having made the statue by casting a living model, a charge that was vigorously denied.

This charge benefited Rodin, though, because people were so eager to see this for themselves.

[citation needed] Casts of the statue can be found in many museums, including: