Antonin Mercie: The Gloria Victis

Antonin Mercie’ was a French sculpture and painter born October 30, 1845-December 13, 1916 in France. Mercie was famously known for his Renaissance era sculpture called Gloria Victis. In 1874 he began his production of the Gloria Victis as student in Paris while attending the École des Beaux-Arts. The Gloria Victis is a sculpture that presents an image of an angel carrying a dead soldier lifeless body to heaven. Mercie’ originally created the sculpture as a tribute of victory for the soldiers fighting the Franco-Prussian war with the head raise up. After France had lost the war, he changed it to the soldier’s head down, indicating defeat. Mercie’ did not reconstruct Gloria Victis as a poignant tribute but as monument of hope and honor to the fallen soldiers who did not die in vain. Mercie accomplished this by applying principle of color, three …show more content…
The angel is represented by wings attach the figure. The angel face is to looking right instead of forward therefore, depicting the angel is fleeing away. The owl on the tree branch at the bottom of the sculpture represents the guardian angel watching the soldier. The angel’s left leg is up and the right leg is near the tree branch by the owl which indicates the angel is flying. The broken sword in which the soldier is carrying represents defeat in battle. The emotional element that Mercie’ use in the angel’s armor with the Lion in the center creates a feeling of inner strength, courage and protection. The Lion is known for its courageous strength and fearless animal. The soldier is naked with his head draped down over the angel, while the angel is clothed, signifying the soldier is dead and the Angel of Death is carrying the soldier away. The soldier’s mouth is open and eyes close represents pain, agony, suffering and dying. The angel is carrying the soldier away where there is no more pain or suffering but