From a kingdom devoted to Mary, mother of Jesus, France, after the Revolution, became a republic under the guidance of Marianne. She is the face of the French Republic.
Marianne soothes the France with her confident, compassionate gaze, sustains them with pride, honors their dead and, like Uncle Sam, leads them the French to battle. As an allegory of The Republic she is represented in village, town, and city halls throughout France. Since the 1960s the bust of Marianne has been modeled successively after celebrities: Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Mireille Mathieu, Laetitia Casta.
The version most seen by visitors to France is the figure leading soldiers to battle in the sculptural scene entitled “La Marseillaise” on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
The photo above, however, is of Marianne as depicted by the sculptor Paul Belmondo (1898-1982), who was born to Italian parents in Algeria. Created in 1933, the bust is entitled “Marianne or The Republic so-called of Algiers.” It is found at the Paul Belmondo Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt.
– text and photo GLK.