Joies de la famille, Marble sculpture in the 6th arrondissement, Paris, France
Joies de la famille is a marble group sculpture showing a man and woman in a tender embrace while supporting their child between them. The work was created by Horace Daillion and arranges the three figures in a harmonious composition.
The plaster version of this marble group was first presented at the Salon in 1885, attracting the attention of the French state. The marble version went on to be displayed at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris before finding its permanent place in the Luxembourg Garden.
The work reflects how French society of the late 1800s viewed family and domestic happiness through sculpture. Like other pieces throughout the garden, it expresses ideals of love and togetherness using classical artistic form.
The marble group stands in the Luxembourg Garden, in the 6th arrondissement, among the lawns and gravel paths near the palace. Visitors reach it on foot through the garden gates; the surrounding paths are level and open to wheelchairs and strollers. It is best seen in daylight, when the carved surfaces of the marble read clearly.
The marble group was carved from a plaster model shown at the 1885 Salon, where it drew the attention of the French state. A ministerial decision of March 30, 1888, commissioned the marble and assigned it to the Luxembourg Garden, where it has stood since.
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