Handbook language :
A Sculpture of Gloria Carrying the Angel Victis, Cast by Barbedienne and After a Model by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié (French, 1845-1916). The draped figure of Gloria carrying the angel Victis, on a naturalistic base.

Inscribed ‘A. Mercié' to the front. The circular plinth numbered ‘528' and further inscribed ‘F. BARBEDIENNE Fondeur, Paris', with the stamp ‘REDUCTION MECANIQUE A. COLLAS BREVETE'.

Parcel-gilt and brown patinated bronze.

The full-size plaster model of Gloria Victis was exhibited at the Salon of 1874, winning the Medaille d'Honneur and critical acclaim. It was then purchased by the City of Paris for the sum of twelve thousand francs and cast in bronze by Victor Thiébaut for eight thousand francs. The original bronze is now placed in the central courtyard of the Paris Hôtel de Ville. The plaster version was re-exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878, alongside bronze reductions of the group by Barbedienne.

Mercié's sculpture became an instant classic, even receiving an entry in the 'Nouveau Larousse Illustré . The success of the group undoubtedly lay in the fact that it was admired not just on an aesthetic level, but also on a patriotic level, particularly in its commemoration of heroism in defeat. Critics also marvelled at the compositional daring of the group, balancing as it did two figures on the minimal support of one foot.