''Les Gavroches'' is a bronze sculpture by

Antonio Sciortino Antonio Sciortino ( Ħaż-Żebbuġ; 25 January 1879 – 10 August 1947) was a Maltese artist, considered Malta’s foremost sculptor of the twentieth century. His career unfolded almost entirely in Rome, where he resided from 1900 till 1936.Sand ...

, depicting Parisian

street children Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids or street child; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policym ...

inspired by

Gavroche Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or street child. Gavroche plays a short yet significant role in ...

from the 1862

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

''. The statue was cast in 1904, and for most of the 20th century it was displayed at the

Upper Barrakka Gardens The Upper Barrakka Gardens ( mt, Il-Barrakka ta' Fuq) are a public garden in Valletta, Malta. Along with the Lower Barrakka Gardens in the same city, they offer a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. The gardens are located on the upper tier of ...

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. In 2000, the statue was restored and transferred to the National Museum of Fine Arts (now

MUŻA MUŻA is an art museum located at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta, Malta. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts ( mt, Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti). It houses a collect ...

) in the same city, and a replica was placed at the Upper Barrakka.

History

Sciortino completed ''Les Gavroches'' in 1904 while he was living in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. By the following year, the sculpture had been exhibited in

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. It was eventually taken to Malta by the Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, at a cost of £120 including packing and dock charges. Malta - Valletta - Pjazza Kastilja - Upper Barrakka Gardens - Les Cavroches 01 ies

Malta - Valletta - Pjazza Kastilja - Upper Barrakka Gardens - Les Cavroches 01 ies

In 1907, the society presented the statue to the government, and it was inaugurated in the

. The sculpture's base contains an inscription commemorating the society's donation of the statue. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was removed in order to ensure its safety, but it was put back in place after the war ended. On 16 January 1951, Prime Minister

George Borg Olivier Giorgio Borg Olivier, ( mt, Ġorġ Borg Olivier) (5 July 1911 – 29 October 1980) was a Maltese statesman and leading politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Malta (1950–55 and 1962–71) as the Leader of the Nationalist Party. H ...

presented a small bronze model of ''Les Gavroches'' made by Sciortino to Princess Elizabeth (now Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

) in a ceremony held at

Auberge d'Aragon The Auberge d'Aragon ( mt, Berġa ta' Aragona) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1571 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre and Catalonia. It is the only surviving auberge in Vall ...

. Due to exposure to the elements, the statue suffered some deterioration over the years. It was removed from the gardens for restoration, which was carried out by Sante Guido at no charge as a gesture of goodwill. The restoration was completed in 2000, and to prevent future degradation the statue was transferred to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta. It is now located at

. A replica of the statue was later placed in its original location at the Upper Barrakka. In 2012, environment and culture minister

Mario de Marco Mario de Marco (born 18 October 1965) is a Maltese politician and academic currently serving as a Member of Parliament. He is the son of former president Guido de Marco and is a former deputy leader for parliamentary affairs of the Nationalist ...

selected ''Les Gavroches'' as Malta's top treasure to be added to

Europeana Europeana is a web portal created by the European Union containing digitised cultural heritage collections of more than 3,000 institutions across Europe. It includes records of over 50 million cultural and scientific artefacts, brought togethe ...

Description

Malta - Valletta - Pjazza Kastilja - Upper Barrakka Gardens - Les Cavroches 03 ies

''Les Gavroches'' represents three

from Paris during the time of the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

. The subject and title are inspired by the character

from

's 1862 novel ''

''. The sculpture represents the themes of hope and innocence, highlighting the younger generation's aspirations for freedom and progress. The sculpture shows influence from

Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

and the work of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

. The statue is one of Sciortino's early works since it was created when he was 24 years old, and it is regarded as one of finest masterpieces.

Legacy

''Les Gavroches'' was depicted on a 1 s6 d Malta stamp issued in 1956, on a £M 100 gold coin minted in 1977, and on €10 silver and €50 gold coins minted in 2012. It was also depicted on a Telemalta phone card.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavroches 1904 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Malta Sculptures of children Outdoor sculptures Street children Works based on Les Misérables

History

Description

Legacy

See also

References

External links