Equestrian Statue of Henri IV — Attraction in Paris

The equestrian statue of Henry IV is a bronze equestrian statue completed by Pietro Tacca. The statue, which now stands on the bridge Pont Neuf, was indirectly commissioned by Marie de Médicis for her husband, King Henry IV of France.The original commissioned artist, Giambologna, had died before its completion, making Pietro Tacca take over the commission.The statue itself was erected in 1614.It was then torn down in 1792 during the French Revolution, but was later rebuilt by 1818.

The original statue of King Henry IV depicts the king riding his horse, which is placed on top of a central raised pedestal.At each of the four corners of the pedestal is a bronze statue of a chained slave.The pedestal's design was made by Ludovico Cigoli with the help of Pietro Tacca, Pietro Francavilla and Francesco Bordoni in its creation.

According to the drawings of Ludovico Cigoli, a Medici court artist, the slaves were depicted with European features and posed with "Michaelangelsque contortions".The four slaves all rest on the bottom ledge of the pedestal and are chained to the harpies behind them on the upper corners of the pedestal. In Ludovico's drawing the slaves are bound with bands around their arms and chained to the harpies' hips.Other details on the pedestal are scenes of battle on the left and presumably the right side of the statue, along with "seated youths bearing swags".

According to Victoria Thompson, the king and horse's pose were heavily influenced by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and his own equestrian statue.

Marie de Médicis was the primary person to have wanted the creation of the statue of Henry IV.3 In 1604 it was most likely her that convinced her uncle, Ferdinando I, to have a miniature of the desired bronze statue commissioned.[3] Due to her concerns on the potentially slow pace of the actual statue's completion (due to Giambologna's age at the time), she wanted to shorten the process. She did so by suggesting a time-saving idea.She suggested to Ferdinando I that since the bronze body and horse of his statue was already made, that it could be used instead of the original idea for the figure.He rejected the idea, but suggested that previous molds for his horse were to be reused instead.

Ferdinando I then visited Giambolongna's workshop to see the work that had been done.On September 17 and November 6 of 1607 he saw the cast of the horse and potentially any other progress that was made.Maria de Medici made her own checks on the workshop during 1606–1608.She used courtiers to keep tabs on the statue's progress.[3] One by the name of Calvaliere Camillo Guidi was used to inform the King and Queen of anything concerning the statue's completion, whether it was a lack of labor...

One of the interesting things to see at the Western end of Ile de la Cite is the Equestrian Station of Henry IV, King of France between 1589 and 1610. It is a nice statue of an Eastward facing Henry on horseback, located above the small Square du Vert-Galant on Pont Neuf.

The bronze statue you see today was built in 1818 by Francois-Frederic Lemot to replace an original statue built in 1614 by order of widowed Queen Marie de' Medici. The original King Henry IV statue was destroyed in 1792 during the French Revolution.

Overall, the Equestrian Statue is a nice addition to the collection of attractions and things to see and do at Ile de la Cite. Its nice to stop by for a look after visiting Saint Chapelle, just a few...

The Equestrian Statue of King Henry IV is a bronze equestrian statue that now stands on the Pont Neuf. It was commissioned by Marie de' Medici for her husband, King Henry IV of France. The original artist, Giambologna, died before it was completed, and Pietro Tacca took over the job. The statue was erected in 1614, demolished in 1792 during the French Revolution, and rebuilt by 1818. The original statue of King Henry IV depicts the king riding his horse, and is placed on a raised central pedestal. At each of the four corners of the base is a bronze statue of a slave in chains. The base was designed by Ludovico Cigoli with the assistance of Pietro Tacca, Pietro Francavilla and Francesco Bordoni in...