Conceived in 1885, this example was cast in 1930. An edition of thirteen casts was produced for the Musée Rodin between 1921 and 1943.

Meditation was originally conceived for The Gates of Hell where it appeared on the far-right hand side of the tympanum amongst the Judgment Group. In 1885 Rodin removed the model from the great portal and began working on it independently.

Once removed from the Gates, Rodin changed the model slightly, dropping the head so that it rests on the right arm and elevating the left arm so that it touches the breast. Depicted in a dream-like state with closed eyes, the woman’s strong contrapposto bears testament to the influence of Michelangelo. Rodin invites the viewer to consider the work from all angles, particularly given the complicated contours and sinuous lines created by her twisting figure.

In 1889, Rodin received the commission for a Monument to Victor Hugo. In his third project for the monument, he introduced Meditation, now titled The Inner Voice, in a composition alongside a model of Hugo himself. The monument underwent a number of transformations over the following years and by the time it was exhibited as the fourth project at the Salon of 1897, both arms of the present work had been amputated. Rodin then removed this version from the monument and began to work on it independently. The armless version was exhibited in both Dresden and Stockholm in 1897 but was poorly received, given its apparently unfinished state.

Rodin later adapted the model for further sculptures and the basic form of Meditation can be seen with a fishtail instead of legs in The Siren, seen from behind in Christ and the Magdalen and with another nude figure in Constellation.