Gloria Victis

The full-size plaster model of Gloria Victis was exhibited at the Salon of 1874, winning the Medaille d'Honneur and critical acclaim. It was then purchased by the City of Paris for the sum of twelve thousand francs and then cast in bronze by Victor Thiébaut for eight thousand francs. The original bronze is now placed in a central courtyard at the Hôtel de Ville. The plaster version was re-exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878, alongside bronze reductions of the group by Barbedienne. Mercié's modern sculpture had become an instant classic, even receiving an entry in the Nouveau Larousse Illustré. The success of the group undoubtedly lay in the fact that it was admired not just on an aesthetic level, but also on a patriotic level. The winged female figure of hope carries to glory a dying French hero, his broken sword a sign of defeat. As the sting of their defeat at the hands of the Prussians was still keenly felt by the French nation, the idea of commemoration of heroism in defeat made Mercié’s composition especially popular. Critics also marvelled at the compositional daring of the group, balancing as it did two figures on the minimal support of one foot.