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Vercingetorix Monument

The Vercingetorix Monument is a statuary monument dedicated to the Gaulish chieftain Vercingetorix, who was defeated by Julius Caesar in the Gallic Wars. Designed by Aimé Millet and commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, it was installed in 1865 on Mont Auxois near Alise-Sainte-Reine in the Côte-d'Or department of Burgundy, eastern France. The site was believed to be ancient Alesia. The memorial’s architect was Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who also added the nationalistic inscription on the base, translating Caesar’s words about Gaul united. The monument is designated as a monument historique.

Vercingetorix Monument, a bronze warrior statue holding a sword against a blue sky
The Vercingetorix Monument rises on a stone pedestal beneath a clear blue sky.
July 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Vercingetorix Monument, a green-patinated bronze warrior statue on a tall stone pedestal.
The Vercingetorix Monument stands on a grassy hill under an overcast sky.
April 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Vercingetorix Monument, a bronze statue on a tall stone pedestal, stands on a grassy hill beneath an overcast sky.
The Vercingetorix Monument rises above the hillside at Alesia, with trees surrounding the statue and pedestal.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Vercingetorix Monument standing on a stone pedestal on a grassy hill with trees and a small gazebo in the background
The Vercingetorix Monument rises above a grassy hill under a clear blue sky.
June 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Vercingetorix monument stands on a stepped circular pedestal inside a large glass-roofed exhibition hall.
The Vercingetorix monument displayed in the Salon of 1865, photographed beneath the hall’s iron and glass roof.
1865 © · Public domain

Identification

TitleVercingetorix Monument
SubjectVercingetorix, the Gaulish chieftain defeated by Julius Caesar in the Gallic Wars
Original titleMonument à Vercingétorix
TypeStatuary monument

Creator

Architect / memorial designerEugène Viollet-le-Duc
SculptorAimé Millet

Historical context

Commissioned byEmperor Napoleon III
Date1865
ContextCreated in the context of Napoleonic interest in Gallic history and later strengthened as a national heroic symbol after the defeat of 1871

Discovery and provenance

Installed on27 August 1865
Exhibited atPalais de l'Industrie during the 1865 Salon
Place madeParis

Location and ownership

SiteTop of Mont Auxois, on the site of the Gallic oppidum of Alesia
Site significanceThe supposed site of Alesia, famous for the siege and defeat of Vercingetorix
PositionWestern end of Mont Auxois, overlooking the archaeological battlefield site of Alésia
DesignationHistoric monument
Current locationMont Auxois, near Alise-Sainte-Reine, Côte-d'Or, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, France

Physical characteristics

Pedestal height7 m
Height6.60 m
WeightAbout five tonnes
FormHollow statue made of hammered and repoussé copper sheets fixed to a beam framework

Materials

Pedestal materialSaulieu granite and Pouillenay stone
Statue materialCopper

Appearance

StyleRomantic style
DepictionAn archetype of the Gauls as imagined by 19th-century French people
Facial featuresDrooping moustache, long shaggy hair, mournful expression
AccessoriesPearl necklace; bands around the breeches; sword and cuirass
AnachronismsThe pearl necklace is pure fantasy; the bands around the breeches belong to the Early Middle Ages; the sword and cuirass are copied from Bronze Age models more than 500 years earlier than Vercingetorix's time
Intended viewing distanceDesigned to be seen from far away

Iconography and meaning

Lower inscriptionNapoleon III, emperor of the French, to the memory of Vercingetorix
Inscription noteThe wording introduces the 19th-century vocabulary of the nation, which is not present in the original phrase
Inscription sourceInspired by a speech attributed to Vercingetorix in Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico, VII, 29
Inscription translationGaul united, forming a single nation, animated by a common spirit, can defy the universe.
Inscription on pedestalLa Gaule unie / Formant une seule nation / Animée d'un même esprit, / Peut défier l'Univers.

History and restoration

Classification date17 January 2014

Significance

ReceptionCriticized by Charles Lecomte de Nouy and Théophile Thoré; defended by Théophile Gautier
Historical significanceAfter the defeat of 1871, Vercingetorix became an icon of the national hero and the monument gained symbolic force in anti-German revanche sentiment

Other

Associated comparisonBuilt like the Statue of Liberty in New York
Related monumentsAnother monument was made by François Mouly in Gien in 1887, and an equestrian statue by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi was made in Clermont-Ferrand in 1903
Political contextThe monument reflected Napoleon III's political aspirations and his interest in the history of the Gauls; a rumor that it was financed from his personal funds is false