22.2.18

Something missing...


I posted a few times already on the statues in the Tuileries Gardens, see e.g. here, here and here. I found a post on the excellent blog “Paris-bise-art” (also in activity for some ten years) about the marble (?) statues that were placed here during the 18th and 19th centuries and the article talked about in what shape these statues may be today.

I guess that we agree that these statues need to be renovated, cleaned… and that some missing parts should be added.



Well, things may look bad, but there are also among the great number of statues…



… some which seem to be in perfect shape. We should also know that many of these statues are just copies and that the originals are « in safety » inside the Louvre Museum and that others obviously will follow.


Walking around the Tuileries Gardens I saw some ravens (I hope I’m right – these are ravens?)...

... and that reminded me about the statue of La Fontaine and his fable “The Raven And The Fox” to be found in the Ranelagh Gardens.  I wrote about it here (and then called the raven a crow). The poor fox has since at least a year lost its magnificent tail. (There is actually another fable by La Fontaine about “The Fox With His Tail Cut Off”, but that’s another story.)  
   

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

About your question if that bird is a raven...
Shouldn't you consult with M. Manet and M. Poe about this?

Édouard Manet Illustrates Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, in a French Edition Translated by Stephane Mallarmé (1875) | Open Culture
Open Culture › 2015/05 › edouard-mane...

What a shame the deterioration of those statues!
Thank you for the tour of that wonderful place,
Maria

martinealison said...

Bonjour cher Peter,

Il est bien dommage et triste de faire une telle constatation !
Heureusement que les originaux sont à l'abri... Pensez-vous que c'est encore et toujours par manque d'argent qu'on laisse ainsi se dégrader ces oeuvres ?

Merci pour cette publication,
A bientôt,

Gros bisous 🌼

lyliane six said...

Certaines statues mutilées me font penser à la légende de la ville d'Anvers: David qui a coupé la main du géant Goliath et l'a jetée dans l'Escaut.
Je n'ai jamais vu de corbeaux bleus, par contre aux Etats Unis il y a des merles bleus,ces derniers auraient ils traversés l'Atlantique?

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Oops.... definitely requires some upkeep and maintenance.

Some diligence on your part to highlight this. Good post, as always

claude said...

Perdre une main ou une jambe c'est pas top,mais alors, perdre ses attributs....
Il y a plusieurs sortes de corbeaux et les tiens ressemblent fort aux american crows.
Belle journée !

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure about if these are Ravens but is they croak and scream bloody murder they're probably Ravens.

Thérèse said...

Un peu triste cet état de choses...

Susie said...

Hello Peter, I picked your site up at the Gypsy Marmalade. I will be visiting often. Thank you for the tour. So sorry about the flooding...we here in Indiana, U.S.A. are on the verge of flooding, especially along the rivers. Blessings to you and yours, xoxo, Susie

Alain said...

Ces oiseaux sont certainement des "choucas des tours" (Western jackdaw) très courants à Paris car ils nichent dans les vieux monuments (tour St Jacques, Notre Dame de Paris...). Le corbeau qui vit de préférence à la campagne, est beaucoup plus gros avec un bec plus fort et légèrement crochu et un plumage entièrement noir.

Studio at the Farm said...

It is sad to see these states in some need of repair - especially La Fontane's fox.

Kathryn