Paris for the Holidays

Captifs (Louvre)

Posted on July 23, 2019 Updated on September 9, 2022

The Four Captives (Martin Desjardins)
Four Defeated Nations: Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Brandenburg, and Holland

Le Louvre
Richelleiu Wing
Cour Puget (Sculpture Courtyard)
Lower Ground Floor (Rez-de-Chaussee)
Room 105

These four oversized gilt-bronze sculptures show a mixture of emotions and ages as they experience defeat and captivity:
Spain (Hope) young man
Holy Roman Empire (Resignation) old man
Brandenburg (Rebellion) defiant young man
Holland (Grief) mature man
It reminds us of Théodore Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa at the Louvre, where the figures on the raft exhibit a range of emotions

Captifs have an interesting history in Paris,
1679 Original site, the Place des Victoires
(on a pedestal at foot Louis XIV statute)
1792 spared from destruction during Revolution
(although Louis XIV statute was melted-down to make cannons)
Moved to the Louvre
1804 Invalides
1962 Parc de Sceaux (30 minutes south of Paris)
1992 Return to Louvre

Martin Desjardins was Dutch sculptor active during the regain of Louis XIV, known for his decoration of Hôtel Salé (which now houses Musée Picasso)

Courtyards (Cour du Palais du Louvre)