This work is part of a period when the memory of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 remains vivid in France. The defeat against Prussia, sealed notably at Sedan, and the loss of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, left a deep wound in the hearts of the French.
Alsace, in particular, symbolizes much more than a lost territory: a cultural, historical, and linguistic center, linked for centuries to French national identity.
It is in this context that this sculpture takes on its full meaning: it represents not only the hoped-for revenge, but also the desire for moral and cultural reconquest. Revenge not only military, but in the form of a renewed national pride, efforts to modernize, recover, and assert France on the European stage.
This allegory, created around 1900, belongs to this movement of commemoration, patriotic resentment, celebration of past victories, and the promise of return.
An exceptional object for collectors, museums or prestigious military decoration.
