Hippomenes, Stone statue in Tuileries Garden, Paris, France

Hippomenes is a marble statue by Guillaume Coustou the Elder, carved in 1714 for the Château de Marly and moved to the Tuileries in 1798. It shows the runner holding three golden apples in his hands, a detail from the race against Atalanta. The figure stands near the north basin of the garden.

Guillaume Coustou the Elder carved Hippomenes in 1714 as one of the marble statues for the gardens of the Château de Marly, the royal retreat built for Louis XIV. In 1798, during the French Revolution, the statue was brought to Paris and installed in the Tuileries Garden, where royal sculptures were regrouped after the palace collections were dispersed.

The figure is Hippomenes, who won Atalanta by dropping golden apples from Aphrodite during their race. Guillaume Coustou carved the marble group Hippomenes and Atalanta for the Château de Marly; this garden figure is paired with a companion statue of Atalanta nearby in the Tuileries.

The statue is accessible year-round during garden opening hours and requires no special visiting conditions. The northern area of the garden is easily reached on foot and offers ample space to linger and observe the sculpture.

The marble Hippomenes is one of the Marly series carved by Guillaume Coustou the Elder in 1714; the Tuileries piece is a replacement, the original having entered the Louvre. Look at the hands: the apples of the race are held in both, the gesture that cost Atalanta the contest.