Lafayette

Illustrious military officer and French politician, Gilbert du Motier made history as Marquis de La Fayette (1757-1834). Opposed to the nobiliary system abolished by the French Revolution, he chose to be called Lafayette from 1789 onwards and went down in history as such.

A man of conviction, the military officer fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles. At age 19, George Washington in person made him general and later endorsed him as a son. In 1781, Lafayette led the battle of Yorktown which helped win the American War of Independence against the British. Considered a national American hero to this day, he will be nicknamed “the hero of both worlds” and become one of the 8 Honorary Citizens of the United States of America.

After returning to France, Lafayette becomes involved in renovating the royal power before playing a key role during the French Revolution of 1789 and presenting the first document of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen to France's National Constituent Assembly: a landmark in History. After Bastille Day, Lafayette was appointed commander-in-chief of France's National Guard; he then plays a decisive role in the July Revolution of 1830. He died in his apartments in Paris on 20 May 1834.

Sculpted in 1790 by Jean-Antoine Houdon, the famous bust shows Lafayette’s noble profile at the height of his career and influence.

In collaboration with The Plaster Cast Workshop of the Rmn - Grand Palais.

Height

35 cm