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Antonin MERCIE (Fr. 1845-1916)

Antonin MERCIE (Fr. 1845-1916)

        
Regular price ¥1,800,000 JPY
Regular price Sale price ¥1,800,000 JPY
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Product number: F0411
Title: Gloria Victis
Artist:Antonin MERCIE (Fr. 1845-1916)
Size:H108.5cm (including marble pedestal)
Weight: 44.0kg
Remarks: signed with a foundy inscription ( F.BARBEDIENNE, Fondeur Paris ) and a foundry cachet ( REDUCTION MECANIQUE, A.COLLAS, IVET ) on the side
Literature: Harold Berman, Bronzes-sculptors & founders 1800-1930, vol.3, Schiffer publishing, 1994

Antonin Mercié was one of the most prominent French sculptors from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Renowned for his allegorical, historical, and heroic subjects, his works are characterized by a sense of serenity and refined dignity. Actively involved in the creation of public monuments, Mercié played a crucial role in giving form to “national memory” and heroic ideals, securing a significant position within the lineage of modern French sculpture.

Gloria Victis (“Glory to the Vanquished”) was created in response to France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The winged goddess of Fame—or Hope—raising a mortally wounded hero does not depict defeat itself, but rather symbolizes the dignity and spiritual strength that endure within it. The defenseless nude hero, rendered in a pose reminiscent of Christ taken down from the Cross, bears a broken sword and a bandaged forehead—signs of loss that simultaneously convey consolation and hope for renewal. First exhibited as a plaster model at the Paris Salon in 1874, the work received high acclaim and was later cast in bronze in various sizes by the Ferdinand Barbedienne foundry, powerfully resonating with the French public in the aftermath of defeat.

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