Le Triomphe de Silène
Le Triomphe de Silène stands in the western part of Paris’s Luxembourg Gardens, near the Orangerie. Jules Dalou’s bronze sculpture gathers human figures into a pyramidal composition around Silenus, companion and tutor to Dionysus. His pot belly and drunken presence belong to a familiar Greek mythological image.
Dalou created the work in 1885, first presenting it in plaster at the Paris Salon des Champs-Élysées. The Thiebaut foundry later cast it in bronze. The French state acquired the sculpture in 1894, and the gardens received it in 1899.
French-style paths, the Palais du Luxembourg, and fountains including the Fontaine de Médicis and Fontaine de l’Observatoire surround the setting. Designed in 1612, the gardens centre on a palace built for Marie de’ Medici, now home to the French Senate. Wheelchair access makes the sculpture accessible within this historic Parisian park.
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Image: DaderotPublic domain
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