Marianne is a symbol of the French Republic. She's the personification of many virtues, most notably the French revolutionary ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité (freedom, equality, brotherhood). Her image (which changes from time to time) can be found on certain French coins, postage stamps, and official documents. Statues and busts of Marianne are common, particularly in government facilities. According to Wikipedia, the figures were modeled after famous French women starting in 1969. Among them, Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve.
I saw this bust in Provence in 2001, probably in the village of Ménerbes. The inscription carved below the bust is "R F" (for République Française). I don't remember if it stood outside the village hall or elsewhere in town.
I wonder what kind of condition that beautiful bust is in now. Those lichens would not have been kind. Maybe she's been saved.
ReplyDeleteMuch more appealing than Uncle Sam :) (Although, we did have Lady Liberty, too.)
ReplyDeleteI never knew about Marianne being a symbol of the French Republic. I have learned something new!
ReplyDeleteI hope Marianne will be a part of the Olympics this summer.
ReplyDeletemitch, good questions. Someone's probably cleaned it up or moved it out of the weather. Who can say?
ReplyDeletejudy, ha! Uncle Sam was from my neck of the woods.
michael, cool!
evelyn, she is! The official logo of the Paris Olympics '24 is a stylized version of Marianne.