(Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse) It is a bronze sculpture with a contemporary but historic appearance by its symbol: a statue of Molière was erected on Wednesday for the first time in Versailles.
Posted at 2:18 p.m.
To applause, the sculpture weighing 250 kilos and 1.80 meters was unveiled a few steps from the Rive Gauche station in Versailles, in a grove; a wink wanted since Molière performed his plays in the gardens of the castle during the royal entertainments.
The work, starting from the golden yellow color of raw bronze, was unveiled to the public in “dark brown” after the patina stage.
The former royal city has a famous equestrian statue of King Louis XIV in front of the castle, but none of France’s best-known playwright, a protege of the same king before whom he performed many of his plays at Versailles.
It was here that he created his first version of Tartuffequickly censored, doctor love, George Dandin or The Versailles Impromptu.
This last play will be presented as part of the “Molière Month”, the city’s annual theater festival created 26 years ago to allow emerging troupes to present their version of the playwright’s plays.
The mayor of the city and creator of the festival, François de Mazières, commissioned this statue for the 400e anniversary of the birth of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin celebrated this year, but the idea was running through his head long before.
“When you go to Salzburg, you see Mozart everywhere, they value their history… Molière embodies French culture but also high-level popular culture,” he told AFP.
The statue was commissioned from the artist Xavier Veilhan, who was inspired by a sculpture visible in the hall of the Comédie-Française: that of a Molière in a seated position, with his legs stretched out and his head resting on his hand. , signed by Jean-Jacques Caffieri, sculptor of the 18th century.
Close to the public
The work does not rest on a pedestal, to “honor the closeness that Molière once maintained with his audience”, according to Mr. Veilhan.
At the end of May, during the chasing stage, a smell of bronze and abrasive emanates from one of the workshops of the Fonderie de Coubertin, located in the Chevreuse Valley.
“It will certainly make Molière more present in the city, he deserves this tribute,” says Christophe Berry, director of the foundry.
At his side, a craftswoman protected by overglasses sands the surface to smooth it. Produced using the sand casting technique, “it’s a very smooth, very taut model, which doesn’t let any flaws through”, he specifies, before continuing his polishing.
“In this work, unlike the restorations, we don’t look at the engravings, it’s the artist’s version that takes precedence,” explains Mr. Berry.
“Molière here doesn’t have a mustache”, as can be seen in many portraits, he smiles.
The statue, the cost of which amounts to 130,000 euros, was financed by the Emerige Endowment Fund. As for the grove, created by the architect Nicolas Gilsoul, it is supported by the city.
The Fonderie de Coubertin had already produced statues of historical figures, notably the statue of General Charles de Gaulle near the Champs-Élysées and that of Winston Churchill, both signed by Jean Cardot.