Antoine Gros, Marble sculpture in Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France.

The marble statue of Antoine Gros sits in the Luxembourg Gardens and was created in 1888 by sculptor Joseph Félon. The work displays carefully carved details and stands in a quiet spot surrounded by paths and trees throughout the park.

The bust of Antoine Gros, painter of the Napoleonic campaigns, was carved by Joseph Félon and placed in the Luxembourg Gardens in 1888. Gros was born in Paris in 1771 and took his own life in 1835; the monument honours a founding figure of French Romantic painting. The marble bust sits in a circular niche set into a red brick wall, above a fluted support with a foliate capital.

The statue shows how French artists of the late 1800s began including real people in their works rather than focusing only on mythological or historical figures. Visitors can see in this sculpture how the art world of that era embraced everyday subjects and contemporary personalities.

The bust faces outward from a circular niche set into a red brick wall, so it is seen from the gravel walk in front rather than from behind. The marble plinth carries the incised name "B. AIGROS", which helps identify it among the many busts and statues of the Luxembourg Gardens. It stands outdoors and can be viewed at any hour, but the niche shades the face in low light.

Antoine Gros was a painter, not a musician: a pupil of David who became Napoleon's official battle painter. The bust is signed by Joseph Félon, and the plinth carries the incised name "B. AIGROS" — Gros's name reversed, a detail most passers-by never notice.