Pyramid of bois de Vincennes, Obelisk in the Bois de Vincennes, 12th arrondissement, Paris, France

The pyramid of Bois de Vincennes is a 1731 obelisk of rusticated stone, not a true pyramid. Each face carries a Rococo cartouche; the east and west ones hold the arms of France, the others a Latin inscription naming Louis XV and Alexandre Claude Lefebvre de la Faluère. Carved mascarons on the shaft pour sculpted water over the base, and a gilded bronze needle with a cross tops the globe.

The obelisk was erected in 1731 on the order of Louis XV to mark the replanting of the Bois de Vincennes, carried out by Alexandre Claude Lefebvre de la Faluère, Grand Master of Waters and Forests. It was decorated by the Slodtz brothers, Sébastien-Antoine and Paul-Ambroise. In 1799, after the assassination of French envoys at the Congress of Rastatt, a mourning ceremony was held here and the globe was painted black with the word "Vengeance!". It was restored in 1858 and 1982, and classified as a monument historique on 19 October 1946.

The monument displays French royal arms on its east and west sides, with Latin inscriptions that record the reforestation effort and the supervisor's name. These markings show how the royal family used this place to celebrate their role in restoring the forest.

The obelisk stands on a raised traffic island in the middle of the Carrefour de la Pyramide, a roundabout where five forest roads meet, including the route de la Pyramide and the route de la Faluère. Approach it on foot or by bike from these roads; the base is ringed by six stone bollards, two of them original in 1986, that keep carriages and vehicles off the steps.

The monument is also called the Pyramide du polygone because it stands near the Vincennes shooting range. Its top is a globe crowned by a gilded bronze needle whose cross marks the cardinal points, a reminder that it guided hunters through the forest.