MARIUS-JEAN-ANTONIN MERCIE (FRENCH, 1845–1916)

First shown at the Paris Salon of 1874, Mercié’s dramatic Gloria Victis was completed shortly following the Franco-Prussian war. Initially Mercié planned the group to consist of Fame and a victorious soldier but altered it following France’s defeat to the celebrated group known today. The plaster version was re-exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1878 alongside bronze reductions cast by Barbedienne.