A French Bronze Relief Plaque, cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne
for Hiolin,
after a model by
Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, Dated 1893
Rectangular,
depicting George Washington and Lafayette,
inscribed
Hiolin D'Apres/Barthold/Barbedienne Fondeur/1893
Width 20 3/8 in. (51.75 cm.)
Height 32 13/16 in. (83.34 cm.)
Catalogue note:
The subject here is a refief of the life-size monument to Franco-American unity by Barthodi which stands in Paris at Place des Etats-Unis.
The sculptor originally solicited the commission from Joseph Pulitzer,
whom he met during the campaign for the Statue of Liberty.
The commission was to be for a single figure at 40,000 francs, and Bartholdi overspent the budget by creating two figures.
He was able to recoup the cost by selling a second cast to the city of New York, where it was placed in Morningside Park, Queens (see June Hargrove,
The Statues of Paris, New York, 1989, pp.182-3)