ticketsMember | Make a donation

Gloria Victis

Founder Cast by Barbedienne Foundry French
modeled by 1874, cast before 1896
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Gloria Victis
  • Artist: Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié (French, Toulouse 1845–1916 Paris)
  • Founder: Cast by Barbedienne Foundry (French, 1834–1954)
  • Date: modeled by 1874, cast before 1896
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: wt. confirmed: 110.5 lb. (50.1 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Marlborough Churchill, 1896
  • Object Number: O.L.89.IV
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts