Meet Marianne!
These were the days of “If they have no bread, let them eat cake.” The French people were starving. Out of deep despair with the monarchy, Marianne was born. Her name is probably a blend of Marie and Anne, two common names among ordinary people. The revolutionaries of the 18th century wanted to break free from a male-dominated, oppressive, and outdated rule, so they chose an allegorical figure of their own imagination, created to represent the values of a free, new France. The rebels chose a woman as a refreshing and innovative antithesis to power, hoping she would lead them toward a new future.
Marianne became one of the symbols of the Republic, alongside the tricolor flag and the national motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” She has managed to hold her place as one of the most significant women in French culture for over 200 years.
Marianne is a beautiful woman. The French have always had a passion for beauty and sensuality. She has a solid build and fiery eyes. On her head sits the Phrygian cap, once worn by freed slaves in ancient Rome. Since the 18th century, the Phrygian cap has symbolized the struggle for freedom and the belief in the values of human liberty. It began with the Jacobins in France, who adopted the red Phrygian cap as their signature symbol. In France it’s known as the “cap of liberty.”
From the very first days after the storming of the Bastille, this figure captivated the French. Marianne has stood the test of time, and her popularity has only grown, so that today her image appears on the official logo of the French government.
Her image is stamped on coins and postage stamps.
For 200 years, the French and the establishment did not give Marianne a face of her own. Her power lay in her symbolism: the Phrygian cap of freedom, sometimes the armor she wears representing the strength of the people, the crown with the star symbolizing wisdom, the lion that sometimes accompanies her symbolizing the courage and strength of the people, and so on.
Marianne Becomes Flesh and Blood
Why was Marianne portrayed as a beautiful young woman whose blouse accentuates or bares her chest? It seems the French tend to favor secularism, aren’t fazed by nudity, appreciate natural beauty, and admire aesthetics.
After 200 years of anonymous Mariannes, it was decided to give the allegorical statue a recognizable, and of course beautiful, French face. A symbol of the French Republic can’t lack style…
This began the tradition of giving the allegorical statue a recognizable French face. The first chosen was the actress Brigitte Bardot. In France, as only in France, exuberant beauty, nudity, and a stormy love life aren’t seen as problematic. On the contrary, they’re a symbol of sacred freedom.
This, in effect, opened the door to celebrity culture: not a woman laden with symbols and revolutionary ideas, but… a model.
Other models included the actress Catherine Deneuve, the singer Mireille Mathieu, the fashion figure Inès de la Fressange, the model Laetitia Casta, and others. You can meet all the women who have modeled for Marianne in the video below:
Marianne also appeared in one of France’s most popular pop songs, Que Marianne était jolie (How Pretty Marianne Was) by Michel Delpech:
If you’d like to read a bit more about the song and the singer, feel free to check out Dr. Orna Lieberman’s article Michel Delpech, the Troubadour Who Sang From the Heart.
Now let’s follow in Marianne’s footsteps around Paris… an easy task and also a hard one. Easy, because since the Revolution, statues of Marianne have been placed in government offices, courthouses, town halls, and squares, and countless works of art have immortalized her. Hard too, because I have to pick just a few examples…
A Walking Tour of Paris in Marianne’s Footsteps
The Louvre: Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), 1830
The painting, housed in the Louvre Museum, commemorates the July Revolution of 1830 in France. French citizens rose up against King Charles X (r. 1824-1830). The rebels opposed the king’s policies, which had strengthened the power of the monarchy and the Church. Following the revolution, Louis-Philippe (r. 1830-1848) was named king of France. Unlike his predecessor, Louis-Philippe was bound by a constitution, and under his rule, citizens were granted greater political rights.
At the front of the painting, towering above everyone, stands the colossal figure of Marianne, the allegorical figure of Liberty. This is the first, or at least the most striking, depiction in painting of the new natural right, a fruit of Enlightenment philosophy, that gave birth to the revolution. The painting glorifies liberty.
Liberty, like the classical muses, is a woman: a fictional figure, a towering Amazon leading the struggle named after her. Her chest is bare. Seduction and sensuality cling to her… the bare chest is the thread that connects her to ancient Greece (the cradle of democracy) and the ancient Roman Republic.
In one hand she waves the tricolor flag, and in the other she holds a bayoneted rifle. Her gaze is turned to the side, toward the fighters battling in her name, and she strides barefoot across the killing field.
Delacroix, who witnessed the 1830 revolution firsthand, wrote: “If I did not fight for liberty, at least I can paint for her.”
The Arc de Triomphe
On a visit to the Arc de Triomphe, that monumental landmark, let’s focus on its most famous statue.
This masterpiece by François Rude (1784-1855) depicts a historical event: in 1792, the Battle of Valmy took place. Volunteer soldiers went out to defend the young republic against Austrian and Prussian forces.
François Rude had a personal connection to the event; for him, making the statue brought things full circle. He was born during the French Revolution and remembered that his admired father had joined the volunteer army to defend the new French Republic. François Rude was an ardent Bonapartist. When Napoleon was finally defeated and sent into exile, François knew he had no place in Paris as someone identified with Napoleon’s supporters. He went into exile in Belgium and returned more than ten years later.
In 1830, King Louis-Philippe came to power and decided to complete the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, which had begun under Napoleon’s rule.
Rude was commissioned to sculpt a statue for the arch’s facade. He accepted the task with enthusiasm.
François created a dramatic, dynamic, and impressive statue. Marianne, here too an allegorical figure, is a goddess of war for liberty. After all, liberty has to be fought for! She wears armor and a helmet. She holds a long sword. Her mouth is open: she’s shouting, spurring the volunteers on to attack. Below her stand six men holding weapons, ready to fight.
The French considered it the most beautiful statue on the Arc de Triomphe and called it “La Marseillaise,” after the French national anthem written in 1792.
Place de la République
Place de la République in Paris sits at the border of the 3rd, 10th, and 11th arrondissements. At its center stands a large statue dedicated to Marianne, and at her feet are three allegorical statues representing Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
The square took its current shape during the Second Empire, as part of Baron Haussmann’s (1809-1891) renovation of Paris.
Place de la Nation
Place de la Nation sits between the 11th and 12th arrondissements. At the center of the square stands a large bronze statue called “The Triumph of the Republic,” starring Marianne. Before the French Revolution, the square was called “Place du Trône” (Throne Square). On July 26, 1660, a throne was erected there to celebrate the return of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa from their wedding in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. During the French Revolution, the square was renamed “Place du Trône-Renversé” (Overturned Throne Square), and a guillotine was placed in its southern part. It was the busiest guillotine in the city. The bodies were buried in the nearby Picpus Cemetery.
One of those executed was the poet André Chénier (1762-1794). His tragic story is told in an opera by the Italian composer Umberto Giordano (1867-1948). Unfortunately for him, he was executed just three days before the end of the Terror.
The central statue in the square was erected in 1889 to mark 100 years since the French Revolution. Marianne stands atop a globe in a chariot, surrounded by symbolic figures.
The statue once stood in a pool, with crocodiles rising up from the water around it. The crocodiles symbolized the enemies of democracy. They disappeared during the German occupation of France in World War II. The Vichy government ordered the removal and destruction (for melting down) of all monuments and metal statues, unless they held “historical or artistic interest.” Anything that might offend the Germans was deemed ugly or radical and sent to a dreadful graveyard of metal. That’s what happened to statues that symbolized liberalism, progress, the avant-garde…
The French Senate Building
The French Senate building sits in the wonderful Luxembourg Gardens. Inside, you’ll find a rich collection of bust sculptures of Marianne.
To wrap up…
Let’s sit on one of the benches in the Luxembourg Gardens and finish our tour following Marianne. Why not pull out your headphones and listen to a wonderful aria from the opera André Chénier? The aria is called “La mamma morta,” and it depicts the horrors of the Terror.
Next, you can watch a clip from the ballet “The Flames of Paris,” featuring a dancer in Marianne’s costume.
Enjoy!
And now, really to wrap up…
The 2024 Summer Olympics are set to be held in Paris for the third time in its history. If only… if only we could reach that day in a different atmosphere… Guess who graces the “chic” logo of the event!?
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