Harmony Triumphing over Discord, Bronze quadriga sculpture at Grand Palais, France

Harmony Triumphing over Discord is a large bronze sculpture at the southeast corner of the Grand Palais, featuring a figure standing in a chariot pulled by four horses. The work displays carefully detailed horses and human forms that together create a dynamic composition.

Georges Récipon created this monumental work during the construction of the Grand Palais for the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition. The sculpture was made as part of the artistic decoration for one of that exhibition's most important buildings.

The title names the subject: the nude figure with raised right arm is Harmony, the writhing mass of fallen figures beneath the horses is Discord. Georges Récipon gave the group this allegorical reading, pairing it with his other quadriga on the Grand Palais corner facing the Seine. Visitors can pick out the small object held by one fallen figure at the base.

The sculpture can be seen from several positions along Avenue Winston Churchill or while crossing Pont Alexandre III nearby. The best views come from the different sidewalks around the building, offering angles from various distances.

The quadriga crowns the southeast corner of the Grand Palais, and its green bronze is the patina of the copper alloy itself, not a painted finish. Look at the base: among the fallen figures of Discord, one grips a small object, a detail most passers-by on Avenue Winston Churchill never notice.