In the Gallery of the Marshals of the Empire on the façade of the Louvre's Aile de Rohan-Rivoli wing, between the Marsan pavilion and rue Rivoli, stands a statue of the Polish Prince Józef Poniatowski (1763-1813), who at the height of his military career served as Commander-in-Chief of the Polish armies of the Duchy of Warsaw and Marshal of the Empire (a title he achieved just three days before his death!). The figure, chiseled by the French sculptor specialising in busts and official full-figure portraits, Philippe Besnard (1885-1971) in 1925, is located in a representative niche on the patera of the building of the most important art museum in France.

Description of the niche's iconography

The sculpture, measuring 315 x 115 x 90 cm, depicts the image of Poniatowski, considered the first elegance of Warsaw, in the prime of life, wearing a formal general's uniform with epaulettes, girded with a pendent with a cloak imposed on his back. In his right hand, the Marshal holds a schako (a chako, helmet, giver, a military cap in the shape of a tall, stiff truncated cylinder, with a round bottom, usually flat), while in his left he holds a sabre. Poniatowski's gaze is directed downwards. The statue stands on a cuboidal pedestal signed " Poniatowski".

History of the creation of the statue

The sculpture was commissioned by the government in accordance with an agreement with Besnard dated 22 April 1922. The other sculptures situated on the façade of the Louvre in Paris were made by other sculptors. Payment for the statue was made on 30 June 1925. The inauguration of the Poniatowski statue took place in 1929.