Antonin MERCIÉ (1845-1916) Lot n° 5

Gloria Victis Sculpture in bronze with gilded patina representing the allegory of the victory It rests on a marble base Signed on the terrace " A . Mercie " and titled " Gloria Victis " Mark of the founder Barbedienne Paris Around 1900 H : 93 cm Bibliography : Pierre Kjellberg, " Les bronzes du XIXe siècle : dictionnaire des sculpteurs ", éditions de l'Amateur, Paris 2005, n°514 Antonin Mercié realized this sculpted group in 1871 following the Franco-German war. It was created to pay tribute to the soldiers who died in battle. The subject evokes Glory, in the form of a young winged woman carrying a dying soldier in her arms. It reflects and embodies the image of a defeated but heroic France.