The Lion of Belfort is a monument sculpted by Auguste Bartholdi to pay tribute to the defenders of the city of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. This lion sculpture was not created ex nihilo but is a reuse of an earlier war memorial project. The work exhibited at the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille thus forms part of the series of sketches and plaster models produced by the artist between 1871 and 1875.
The final version of the Lion spans 22 meters in length and stands 11 meters high. It is embedded into the side of the Belfort citadel. In Bartholdi’s initial design, the Lion was to face east. However, following an intervention by the Prussian Chancellor Bismarck, who regarded this orientation as provocative, the Lion was reoriented westward. To compensate for this change, Bartholdi decided to turn the arrow beneath the Lion’s paw toward Prussia.
This virtual exhibition highlights the creative process that led to this sculpture and places the work within its historical context. The aim is to understand the reasons that led the sculptor to choose the figure of the lion, as well as the symbolism that this animal has carried throughout history.