La statue de la guerrière Athéna en bronze doré a été réalisée par Léon-Ernest Drivier (1878-1951), un élève de Auguste Rodin en 1935, Elle représente « La France apportant la paix et la prospérité aux colonies » et a été créée pour l'exposition coloniale de 1931.
The square of the Veterans of Indochina, created in 1987, which pays tribute to the fighters of the Indochina war (1946-1954) houses a fountain with a multi-level basin dominated by a golden statue of about ten meters high. The statue of the warrior Athena in gilded bronze was created by Léon-Ernest Drivier (1878-1951), a student of Auguste Rodin in 1935. It represents "France bringing peace and prosperity to the colonies" and was created for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition.
Fontaine de la Porte-Dorée
Credits
Localisation
La fontaine occupe le terre-plein central de la place Édouard-Renard, ou square des Anciens-Combattants-d'Indochine, à l'intersection de l'avenue Daumesnil et des boulevards Soult et Poniatowski, à quelques dizaines de mètres du bois de Vincennes.
Caractéristiques
Fontaine
La fontaine est composée de plusieurs bassins en cascade. À l'extrémité est, un grand bassin d'environ 12 m de côté est alimenté par 3 vasques concentriques en demi-cercle. Ce bassin s'écoule ensuite vers l'ouest dans 7 bassins rectangulaires en enfilade, de 8 m de long sur 1,5 m de large. Le dernier bassin rectangulaire se déverse dans un petit bassin en semi-circulaire où l'eau est évacuée. Au total, la fontaine mesure environ 70 m de long.
Le grand bassin supérieur comporte quatre jets d'eau. Chacun des petits bassins rectangulaires est encadré par deux vasques, qui comportent elles-mêmes chacune un petit jet d'eau.
Statue d'Athéna
La partie supérieure de la fontaine est occupée par une statue de la déesse grecque Athéna, d'environ 5 m de hauteur, en bronze doré. Athéna est représentée tenant une lance dans sa main droite, Niké — la déesse de la victoire — posée sur sa main gauche et un bouclier à ses côtés. Elle est revêtue d'un casque gaulois. La statue repose sur un socle en pierre.
D’abord commandée à Antoine Bourdelle, la statue devait à l’origine occuper le péristyle du musée des Colonies. Disposée devant le perron durant l’exposition, la statue trouve sa place actuelle après la fin de l'exposition coloniale. Alfred Janniot moque en 1930 le projet : « Une fois de plus, on n’aura pas réussi à réaliser une statue représentant la France autrement qu’avec des attributs grecs [la statue est pourtant armée à la gauloise] qui n’ont rien à voir avec la France et lui donnent beaucoup plus l’aspect d’un gendarme qu’autre chose. »
Historique
La statue d'Athéna est réalisée par le sculpteur Léon-Ernest Drivier pour l'Exposition coloniale de 1931. Elle occupe alors le péristyle du palais de la Porte Dorée, devant l'entrée principale. Elle est alors intitulée La France apportant la paix et la prospérité aux colonies.
La place Édouard-Renard est aménagée en 1935 par l'architecte Louis Madeline. La statue d'Athéna est alors déplacée à son emplacement actuel.
Fountain of the Golden Gate
Location
The fountain is located in the central median of the Place Édouard-Renard, or Square des Anciens-Combattants-d'Indochine, at the intersection of Avenue Daumesnil and Boulevards Soult and Poniatowski, a few dozen meters from the Bois de Vincennes.
Features
Fountain
The fountain is composed of several cascading basins. At the eastern end, a large basin of about 12 m on each side is fed by 3 concentric basins in a semi-circle. This basin then flows westward into 7 rectangular basins in a row, 8 m long and 1.5 m wide. The last rectangular basin flows into a small semicircular basin where the water is drained. In total, the fountain is about 70 m long.
The large upper basin has four water jets. Each of the small rectangular basins is framed by two basins, each of which has a small water jet.
Statue of Athena
The upper part of the fountain is occupied by a statue of the Greek goddess Athena, about 5 m high, in gilded bronze. Athena is represented holding a spear in her right hand, Niké - the goddess of victory - on her left hand and a shield at her side. She is wearing a Gallic helmet. The statue rests on a stone base.
Originally commissioned from Antoine Bourdelle, the statue was to occupy the peristyle of the Musée des Colonies. Placed in front of the perron during the exhibition, the statue found its current place after the end of the colonial exhibition. Alfred Janniot mocked the project in 1930: "Once again, we have not succeeded in making a statue representing France other than with Greek attributes [the statue is armed with Gallic] that have nothing to do with France and give it much more the appearance of a policeman than anything else.
History
The statue of Athena was created by the sculptor Léon-Ernest Drivier for the Colonial Exhibition of 1931. It occupies the peristyle of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, in front of the main entrance. It was entitled La France apporteant la paix et la prospérité aux colonies.
The Place Édouard-Renard was designed in 1935 by the architect Louis Madeline. The statue of Athena was moved to its current location.
Athéna
Credits
Athéna ou Athéné est une déesse grecque antique, identifiée à Minerve chez les Romains. Elle joue un rôle important dans la mythologie grecque. Elle est également appelée « Pallas Athéna », déesse de la sagesse, de la stratégie militaire, des artisans, des artistes et des maîtres d'école.
Athéna est le type achevé de la divinité poliade. Elle était considérée comme la patronne et protectrice de plusieurs cités de Grèce, notamment celle d’Athènes. Elle est généralement montrée dans l'art portant un casque et tenant une lance. Ses principaux symboles incluent la chouette, l'olivier, le serpent et le Gorgonéion.
Athéna, avec Aphrodite et Héra, est l'une des trois déesses dont la querelle provoque la guerre de Troie. Elle joue un rôle actif dans l’Iliade où elle assiste les Achéens et, dans l’Odyssée où elle est la conseillère divine d’Ulysse.
Athéna est également la déesse protectrice des héros ; elle apporte son soutien à Persée, Héraclès, Bellérophon et Jason.
En tant que patronne de l'artisanat et du tissage, Athéna était connue sous le nom d'Ergane.
Elle est également une déesse guerrière et elle menait les soldats au combat sous le nom d'Athéna Promachos.
Le Parthénon sur l'acropole d'Athènes lui est dédié, ainsi que de nombreux autres temples et monuments.
Son festival principal à Athènes était les Panathénées, célébrées pendant le mois d’Hécatombéon en plein été, c’était le festival le plus important du calendrier athénien.
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens, from which she most likely received her name. The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her. Her major symbols include owls, olive trees, snakes, and the Gorgoneion. In art, she is generally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear.
From her origin as an Aegean palace goddess, Athena was closely associated with the city. She was known as Polias and Poliouchos (both derived from polis, meaning "city-state"), and her temples were usually located atop the fortified acropolis in the central part of the city. The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis is dedicated to her, along with numerous other temples and monuments. As the patron of craft and weaving, Athena was known as Ergane. She was also a warrior goddess, and was believed to lead soldiers into battle as Athena Promachos. Her main festival in Athens was the Panathenaia, which was celebrated during the month of Hekatombaion in midsummer and was the most important festival on the Athenian calendar.
In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis. In others, such as Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena; in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead. In the founding myth of Athens, Athena bested Poseidon in a competition over patronage of the city by creating the first olive tree. She was known as Athena Parthenos "Athena the Virgin," but in one archaic Attic myth, the god Hephaestus tried and failed to rape her, resulting in Gaia giving birth to Erichthonius, an important Athenian founding hero. Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor; she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. Along with Aphrodite and Hera, Athena was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War.
She plays an active role in the Iliad, in which she assists the Achaeans and, in the Odyssey, she is the divine counselor to Odysseus. In the later writings of the Roman poet Ovid, Athena was said to have competed against the mortal Arachne in a weaving competition, afterward transforming Arachne into the first spider; Ovid also describes how she transformed Medusa into a Gorgon after witnessing her being raped by Poseidon in her temple. Since the Renaissance, Athena has become an international symbol of wisdom, the arts, and classical learning. Western artists and allegorists have often used Athena as a symbol of freedom and democracy.