Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

The Ghosts

The Ghosts is a monumental sculptural group by the French sculptor Paul Landowski (1875–1961). It forms part of the national memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne, a World War I monument erected in the plain of Chalmont at Oulchy-le-Château in the Aisne, on the exact site where the battle’s outcome was decided in 1918. Originally modeled in plaster under the title Les Morts, the work already featured ghost-like figures rather than recumbent effigies. The granite group received an honourable mention at the 1923 Salon des artistes français. The monument was later selected by veterans, classified as a historic monument in 1934 before its completion, and inaugurated by President Albert Lebrun.

The Ghosts stone sculpture of several uniformed men on a stepped base with French lettering.
The Ghosts monument shows a group of uniformed figures rising from a stepped stone base beneath a clear blue sky.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stone figures from The Ghosts stand closely together, one holding a rifle and another a pickaxe, seen from below against the sky.
The Ghosts by Paul Landowski, shown in a low-angle view with several stone figures grouped together against the sky.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The La France 1918 stone sculpture stands on a pedestal under a clear blue sky, with a round shield in one hand and another stone figure in the distance.
La France 1918, a stone sculpture from the Monument national de la seconde bataille de la Marne, shown with a distant companion figure on the hillside.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ghosts sculpture with a robed figure holding a circular shield, with a person standing on the stone path nearby.
The Ghosts, a monument by Paul Landowski, shown with a robed figure holding a circular shield.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ghosts memorial stone with a long French inscription in a grassy outdoor setting.
The Ghosts monument shows a stone block with a lengthy inscription, set outdoors among grass and trees.
February 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleThe Ghosts
Original working titleLes Morts
TypeMonumental linked group sculpture
Original French titleLes Fantômes

Historical context

Associated monumentNational Monument to the Second Battle of the Marne
CommemoratesThe Second Battle of the Marne in 1918
Historical contextRelated to World War I (1914–1918)

Creator

ArtistPaul Landowski (French, 1875–1961)
Commissioned bythe French State
Promise date1916

Discovery and provenance

FundingConstruction financed by a national subscription
Site options consideredVerdun, the Douaumont Ossuary, and finally the Butte de Chalmont at Oulchy-le-Château
Project presentedIn a state competition in 1919
Site selected1927
Plaster model completed1923

Physical characteristics

Number of sculptural groupsTwo
Height8 meters each
Number of figures in The GhostsEight
Figures representedSeven soldier figures: a young recruit, a sapper, a grenadier, a colonial soldier, a machine gunner, an infantryman, and an aviator; plus a naked young man
PoseThe figures have closed eyes and are slightly inclined, as if rising from their graves or shroud

Materials

MaterialPlaster for the model; granite for the executed sculpture

Technique

FormA group sculpture executed in granite after a plaster project

Appearance

BaseThe soldiers rise on a stepped pedestal
Associated sculptureFrance

Iconography and meaning

DepictionGhosts rather than effigies of the dead lying in state (gisants)
SymbolismThe seven ghosts surround and protect the naked young man, a symbol of the unarmed civilian population and a young martyr protected by elders returned from the dead
SymbolismFrance is shown as a young woman shielding herself with a shield inscribed 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity', with no offensive weapons, symbolizing defense of universal values and France not acting as an aggressor
MeaningThe two sculptures express the ambiguity of France and its allies' victory in the war
MeaningThe monument commemorates soldiers who died or went missing in the Second Battle of the Marne

Location and ownership

Heritage protection statusClassified as a historic monument since 1934, before completion
OwnershipProperty of the French State
Site significancePlaced at the spot where the fate of the Second Battle of the Marne was decided; the hill overlooks the battlefields
Current locationButte de Chalmont, at the top of the hill near Oulchy-le-Château, Aisne, France

History and restoration

Unveiled on27 February 1935
Unveiled byPresident Albert Lebrun
Monument structureThe monument is composed of three ensembles
Inscribed stelesTwo steles on each side of the France statue with inscriptions recounting the history of the fighting

Significance

AwardHonor medal at the Salon des artistes français in 1923
Classification noteThe early classification as a historic monument was unusual

Other

Artist's war experienceLandowski personally fought in World War I and found the experience shocking
Artist's diary commentHe wrote in his diary, 'I will resurrect them'