32 - Auguste BARTHOLDI (1834–1904)

Auguste BARTHOLDI (1834–1904) Bust of a Woman Plaster, signed on the right, dated 1857. H_37 cm W_20 cm D_16 cm Frédéric Auguste BARTHOLDI, born on August 2, 1834, in Colmar, Alsace, and died on October 4, 1904, in Paris, was an internationally renowned French sculptor. He is best known as the creator of the famous Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States. Trained first in painting and then in sculpture in Paris, BARTHOLDI undertook several trips to the East and Egypt, which fueled his inspiration for monumental works. He created numerous public monuments and commemorative works, including the Lion of Belfort (1880), a tribute to the city’s resistance during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, and the Statue of Liberty (1886), for which he designed the monumental project. Auguste Bartholdi’s Alsatian origins are not merely a biographical detail: they provide insight into several essential aspects of his work, notably his patriotism, his penchant for commemorative monuments, and his commitment to freedom. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 was a defining event. The French defeat led to the annexation of Alsace and part of Lorraine by the German Empire. For BARTHOLDI, an Alsatian by birth, this territorial loss took on a special personal and patriotic significance. This period strengthened his interest in monuments that express resistance, courage, and collective memory. The most significant example is the Lion of Belfort, created between 1875 and 1880. This monumental sculpture commemorates the resistance of Belfort, which withstood the German siege of 1870–1871. The animal, depicted in a powerful and determined pose, symbolizes resilience in the face of adversity. Since Belfort escaped annexation, the monument also holds special significance in the history of Alsace’s separation from French territory. Related Work: A bust of Hercules by Peyerimhoff (1871), similar to our work in terms of both the technique used and the sculpture’s dimensions and material, is housed at the BARTHOLDI Museum in Colmar.