Gloria Victis

Mercié created this sculpture of a winged figure of Fame bearing aloft a fallen soldier in response to France’s humiliating loss in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The work’s title, engraved on its base, reverses the ancient idiom “Vae victis!” (“Woe to the vanquished!”), affirming the resurgent spirit of France in the face of defeat. The uplifting image of heroic sacrifice resonated with the French people, who lauded the monumental sculpture upon its 1874 Paris debut and purchased smaller bronze editions, like this version, produced by the Barbedienne foundry.