Les Gavroches - Valletta, Malta
Posted by: neoc1
N 35° 53.698 E 014° 30.735
33S E 455981 N 3972408
A replica of the sculpture Les Gavroches by Antonio Sciortino is located at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, Malta.
Waymark Code: WMV0F6
Location: Malta
Date Posted: 02/02/2017
Views: 8
The character of Gavroche appears in Victor Hugo masterpiece novel, Les Misérables, published in 1862. Gavroche is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. In the novel, Gavroche helps his father, Patron-Minette and Brujon escape from prison at the request of Montparnasse.
The sculpture on display in the Upper Barrakka Gardens is a replica of the original sculpture created by Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino in 1904 and donated to the Government of Malta in 1907. Gavroche's name has become a synonym for a street urchin. The 124 x 150 x 92 cm bronze sculpture depicts Gavroche as the central figure. He is dressed in rags and holding the hands of two younger children, one on each side, hence the title of the sculpture Les Gavroches. The group is depicted walking, seemingly in a hurry.
To preserve the original sculpture, the original has been moved into Malta's National Museum of Fine Arts, where it is on display. A sign near the sculpture is inscribed:
LES GAVROCHES
THE MALTA STOCK EXCHANGE REPLICA (2003)
FROM THE ORIGINAL BRONZE SCULPTURE NOW EXHIBITED
AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
/