Lucerne Lion
Lucerne Lion
3D
Published 2023-08-04T11:23:53+00:00
In 1818-1819, Thorvaldsen produced the model for a monument to the Swiss Guards who had fought in Paris in defense of King Louis XVI, the absolute monarch of France, during the storming of the Tuileries by revolutionary forces on August 10, 1792. When the Dying Lion was dedicated in Lucerne, in 1821, pro-democracy circles criticized it as a tribute to royal power. In fact, however, Thorvaldsen may have embedded within the work a discreet critique of absolute monarchy as a form of government. This article begins by recounting the monument’s story, and proceeds to offer a more critical account—as, with time, it has grown to be more of a national symbol of Swiss values than a memorial for the mercenary soldiers that it actually names.
[full text, Thorvaldsens Archives]
| Date published | 04/08/2023 |
| Title | Lucerne Lion |
| Date | 1819 |
| Accession | A119 |
| Medium | Plaster |
| Record | https://kataloget.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/en/A119 |
| Artist | Bertel Thorvaldsen |
| Place | Thorvaldsens Museum |