Marius Jean Antonin Mercie
1845 -1916 French Sculptor
Mercie was born in Toulouse. He entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguiere and Francois Jouffroy, and in 1868
gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. His first great popular successes were the David and Gloria Victis, which was shown and received the
Medal of Honour of the Paris Salon. The bronze was subsequently placed in the Square Montholon.
The bronze David was one of his most popular works. The Biblical hero is depicted naked with the head of Goliath at his feet like Donatello's David,
but with a turbanned head and sheathing his long sword. Numerous reproductions exist, most of which incorporate a loincloth that covers David's
genitalia but not his buttocks. The lifesize original is now in the Musee d'Orsay.
Contact Points
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