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

La Défense de Paris

La Défense de Paris is a bronze statue by French sculptor Louis-Ernest Barrias. It commemorates the French dead from the Siege of Paris in 1870–71 during the Franco-Prussian War. The sculpture group was unveiled west of Paris on 12 October 1883, on an existing plinth near the crossroads between Courbevoie and Puteaux. The surrounding area later became known as La Défense after the statue. The work was removed from its original site, relocated around 1965, moved several times, and was placed at its current location near the Arche de la Défense in 2017.

La Défense de Paris bronze monument with a crowned female figure, standard, cannon, and seated soldier in front of modern buildings
La Défense de Paris, a bronze monument by Louis-Ernest Barrias, shown with its crowned figure, cannon, and seated soldier against the Paris skyline.
January 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sepia photograph of the La Défense de Paris sculpture group, showing a draped female figure standing over a kneeling soldier.
Photograph of Emile François Chatrousse’s La Défense de Paris sculpture group, with a draped female figure standing over a kneeling soldier.
© Anonyme, photographe · CC0
La Défense de Paris sculpture on a tall pedestal in a modern urban plaza with lawns and skyscrapers.
La Défense de Paris stands on its pedestal in the La Défense district of Paris.
June 2012 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
La Défense de Paris bronze memorial statue with a central female figure holding a standard, standing before modern glass skyscrapers.
La Défense de Paris bronze memorial statue in front of the La Défense skyline.
July 2024 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
La Défense de Paris bronze sculpture with a winged female figure above a swordsman and smaller figure below.
La Défense de Paris, a dramatic bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, showing a winged figure above an armed man.
December 2010 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleLa Défense de Paris
Alternative titleLa Défense
Typecommemorative bronze sculptural group

Historical context

Date1878
Commissioning year1879
Historical contextCreated in the context of the Third French Republic's commemorative monument tradition, after the Republican government came to power in 1879
Site significanceThe place where French National Guard soldiers assembled before the Battle of Buzenval on 19 January 1871, the last attempt by the defenders to break out of the siege of Paris
Political contextCommissioned after the Republican government came to power in France in 1879

Creator

ArtistLouis-Ernest Barrias

Discovery and provenance

Preparatory modelA plaster model, circa 1880, patinated to resemble bronze; shown at the Paris Salon in 1881; now in the Petit Palais
Rejected proposalAuguste Rodin's L'Appel aux armes (The Call to Arms)
Competing artistsAround 100 French artists were invited, including Gustave Doré, Auguste Bartholdi, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Alfred Boucher, Alexandre Falguière, Auguste Rodin, Lequien, and Moreau
CompetitionA competition was organized for the monument; Barrias won after five rounds of voting
Commissioning bodyGovernment of the Seine department

Physical characteristics

Number of figuresThree
CompositionA three-figure group symbolizing Paris, the military service, and the suffering civil population
FiguresA woman in National Guard uniform with a mural crown, leaning on a cannon and holding a flag; a young soldier loading his Chassepot rifle; and a sad young woman

Materials

MaterialBronze
Model materialPlaster with patina

Technique

FoundryThiébaut Frères foundry

Iconography and meaning

Alternative interpretationAccording to Henri de Frémont, the woman may represent the insurgent Commune against the Versailles government rather than the City of Paris
SymbolismThe three figures summarize the heroism of the defense of Paris and form a united family facing adversity
InterpretationA metaphor for national reconciliation
SubjectThe defense of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, especially the Siege of Paris of 1870–71
PurposeTo commemorate the defense of Paris and France during the Franco-Prussian War and to mark the reintegration of Paris into the French nation after the Paris Commune
Commemorated groupThe French military and civilian dead from the Siege of Paris in 1870–71

Location and ownership

Original locationAt the crossroads of Courbevoie, west of Paris, on the site later known as La Défense roundabout, in present-day Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine
Original site namesCarrefour de Courbevoie; Rond-point de Courbevoie; De la Demi-lune; De Chantecoq; De l'Empereur; Rond-point de la Défense
Intended siteThe crossroads of Courbevoie at the far end of the Bois de Boulogne, on the extended Axe historique closing the perspective of the Arc de Triomphe
Original plinthMounted on a reused granite plinth 5 meters high that had previously supported a bronze statue by Charles Émile Seurre of Napoleon I
Original settingSurrounded by an iron grille with four gas lanterns
Current locationNear the Grande Arche de la Défense, on the esplanade in the La Défense business district, between the Grande Arche and the Seine
Current site contextAt the heart of the La Défense business district, which developed from the 1950s and extends into Nanterre and Puteaux

History and restoration

Temporary removalFor several years it was hidden in storage during the development of the La Défense business district and the construction of La Défense station on RER line A
Later relocationIn 2017 it was moved to a more visible location near the Arche de la Défense
Unveiling ceremonyUnveiled by Interior Minister Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau; the ceremony included a 21-gun salute, a military parade, and a performance of La Marseillaise by the Republican Guard
Movement historyThe monument was removed and moved several times during the development of La Défense; it was stored for a time in 1964 on a construction site, moved in 1965 to a nearby plinth, and reinstalled on 21 September 1983
Site renamingAfter the unveiling, the site was renamed Rond-point de la Défense
Audience at unveilingAbout 100,000 people
Unveiling date12 August 1883

Significance

Naming legacyIt gave its name to the La Défense area; the commune of Courbevoie was also known as La Défense, and the name was later used for the business district and the telephone prefix for Courbevoie
Related artistic examplesCompared with Rodin's The Burghers of Calais and Jules Dalou's The Triumph of the Republic
Related work by artistBarrias used a similar triple composition for his memorial sculpture in Saint-Quentin, Aisne