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Monument to Mickiewicz

Monument to Mickiewicz in Paris is a monument to the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, created by the French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. The model was made in 1909, and the monument itself was completed in 1928. It was unveiled on 28 April 1929 at Place de l’Alma in Paris, a few months before the sculptor’s death. Later, it was moved to Cours Albert-I in the 8th arrondissement, on the western side of the Seine embankment now called the Yerevan Garden. The monument was a gift from Poland to France. Its base is decorated with six reliefs showing figures and themes from Mickiewicz’s works, and the column is topped by a statue of the poet.

The Monument to Mickiewicz stands in a crowded Paris square during its inauguration, with a statue atop a decorated column and spectators in hats and umbrellas below.
The Monument to Mickiewicz during its 1929 inauguration in Paris, with a large crowd gathered around the sculpted column.
© Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire) · Public domain
Lower section of the Mickiewicz monument showing bronze relief panels and inscriptions on the socle.
The lower section of Antoine Bourdelle’s Monument to Mickiewicz, with sculpted reliefs on the base.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
A group of five people stands around a large sculpture of Mickiewicz in a workshop, with other busts and reliefs on the walls.
A group poses beside the Monument to Mickiewicz in Antoine Bourdelle’s workshop in Paris.
December 1921 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lower section of the Monument to Mickiewicz, showing a sculpted stone base between trees near the Jardin d\'Erevan sign.
The lower portion of the Monument to Mickiewicz is visible beside trees in Jardin d\'Erevan, Paris.
May 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
A small ornate section of the Monument to Mickiewicz is visible above a dark-draped podium as a speaker addresses a crowd.
The Monument to Mickiewicz is partly visible above a draped podium during an inauguration ceremony.
© · Public domain

Identification

TitleMonument to Adam Mickiewicz in Paris
TypeMonument
DedicationAdam Mickiewicz
Alternative titleMonument to the Polish Epic of Defense

Historical context

Historical context of the subjectBorn in what was then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Subject birth year1798
Subject birth placeNavahroudak (Nowogrodek, now in Belarus)
Subject death year1855
Subject death placeIstanbul
Subject significanceCelebrated in his homeland as the spiritual father of modern Polish literature
Residence in FranceMoved to France in 1829
ExileExiled in Russia from 1824 to 1829 because of his participation in patriotic circles
SubjectAdam Mickiewicz
Attempt to join uprisingIn 1831, he unsuccessfully tried to join the rebels during the insurrection but did not get beyond Dresden
Doctrinal developmentFrom 1832 onward he developed a doctrine of fervent patriotism and recovered religion
Religious-political ideaPreached regeneration through accepted sacrifice and suffering sublimated into love for his homeland
MarriageMarried in Paris to his compatriot Félicie Szymanowska, aged twenty-two
ChildrenHad six children
Teaching positionsTaught Latin literature in Lausanne in 1839 and 1840; appointed in 1840 professor of Slavic literature at the Collège de France
Subject occupationPolish poet and writer
Literary and political importanceOne of the greatest European Romantic poets and an intellectual; recognized moral leader of the Polish nation
Commissioned byA Franco-Polish committee
Commission year1908
Committee presidentLafayette
Committee creation date1831

Creator

NationalityFrench
SculptorAntoine Bourdelle
Model created1909

History and restoration

Gift statusA gift from Poland to France
Burial and reburialHis body was brought back to Paris and, in 1890, transferred to Kraków, where he was solemnly buried in Wawel Cathedral
Military plan at deathHe intended to form a Polish legion to fight the Russians
Circumstances of deathDied in Istanbul after going there to join the Polish colony living at Polonezköy during the Crimean War
Cause of deathDied of cholera
Acceptance by Paris municipal council1926
Censure and suspensionHis courses were suspended in 1844 because he was accused of being influenced by the mystic Andrzej Towiański
DismissalAfter the coup d'état of 1851, he was dismissed by decree
Completion year1928
Unveiling date28 April 1929
Original unveiling locationPlace de l'Alma, Paris
Original installation locationCenter of Place de l'Alma
Original installation date1929
Relocation year1956
Relocation reasonProblems related to automobile traffic
Relocated toCours Albert-I, western end, on the Seine embankment, 8th arrondissement, Paris
Current site nameJardin d'Erevan (Yerevan Garden)
Current site name sinceMarch 2009
Present in museumA fragment is displayed at Musée Bourdelle, Paris

Physical characteristics

Material of depicted fragmentsNot specified
Top elementA statue of Adam Mickiewicz crowns the column
Pedestal materialReddish porphyritic granite with large white feldspars from the Carpathians
Base decorationSix reliefs decorate the base of the column
StructureMonument on a column with sculptural decoration
CompositionA column topped by a statue of Adam Mickiewicz

Iconography and meaning

Base relief subjectsKonrad Wallenrod, Aldona, Halban, prisoners, Maryla, and the allegory of the Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Partition allegory depictionThe Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is shown as three girls symbolizing the three parts into which it was divided by Russia, Austria, and Prussia
Upper relief subjectGrażyna

Location and ownership

LocationParis, France
District8th arrondissement of Paris
CountryFrance
Current locationJardin d'Erevan (Yerevan Garden), at the western end of Cours Albert-I on the Seine embankment, Paris
Original locationPlace de l'Alma, Paris
Relocated siteCours Albert-I, western end, on the Seine embankment

Significance

Associated museum displayA fragment of the monument is shown at Musée Bourdelle in Paris