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Oxio
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Frédéric Auguste BARTHOLDI (1834–1904).
See original version (French)
264
-
Frédéric Auguste BARTHOLDI (1834–1904).
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,200 - €1,400
Voluntary lot
Description
Frédéric Auguste BARTHOLDI (1834–1904). Lion of Belfort
Bronze high-relief cast with a nuanced brown patina, signed in the bottom right-hand corner
H. 23.5 cm - W. 40.5 cm - D. 13 cm
Note:
The Lion of Belfort is a monumental sculpture in pink Vosges sandstone created by Auguste Bartholdi between 1875 and 1880. Stretching 22 metres in length and 11 metres in height at the foot of the citadel, the work commemorates the city’s heroic resistance, led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau, during the siege of 1870–1871 against Prussian troops. Rather than a traditional funerary monument, Bartholdi chose to depict a reclining yet watchful lion, its paw resting on an arrow, ready to pounce. Facing east, the lion looks towards the German border in a pose that conveys determination and national pride, undiminished despite defeat. Assembled like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle from separately carved blocks, the sculpture has been listed as a historic monument since 1992 and remains the emblematic symbol of the city of Belfort.
See original version (French)
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