A FRENCH BRONZE FIGURAL GROUP OF GLORIA-VICTIS

Gloria Victis, crafted in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, reflects Antonin Mercié’s shift in intention from a victorious soldier being lifted by Fame to a fallen hero borne upward by Victory-a poignant alteration made in line with France’s defeat. This composition soon became a national emblem, with replicas evident in numerous war memorials across France, including at Deux-Sèvres, Niort, Agen, and Bordeaux.

Mercié sits among the most distinguished French sculptors of his time, his talents recognised with a string of honours and awards throughout his life. He received the Prix de Rome in 1868 including the Légion d'honneur at the 1874 Salon for Gloria Victis, and the Grand Prix at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. He was appointed as professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1900 and subsequently elected as President of the Société des Artistes Français in 1913. To this day, Gloria Victis remains one of Mercié’s most enduring and eloquent expressions of heroism and national resilience.

Literature

See Fusco and H.W. Janson, The Romantics to Rodin: French Nineteenth Century Sculpture from North American Collections, pp. 304–306, no.167.