MARIUS JEAN ANTONIN MERCIE (FRENCH, 1845-1916): A PATINATED AND PARCEL GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF 'GLORIA VICTIS' (GLORY TO THE VANQUISHED) the winged allegorical figure of Fame or Hope holding aloft a dying French hero, his broken sword a sign of defeat, the base inscribed 'GLORIA VICTIS' signed A. Mercié, inscribed 'F. Barbedienne Fondeur Paris' and with Collas réduction mécanique pastille, raised on a black marble and bronze octagonal plinth, the underside stamped EEE the bronze 61cm high, 73cm high overall 'Gloria Victis' was designed by Mercie to commemorate the French soldiers who were defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, which included his friend and fellow sculptor, the artist Henri Regnault (1843–1871). Mercie exhibited the plaster model at the Salon in 1874 to great acclaim, and subsequently Barbedienne produced editions in various sizes.