Grafmonument voor Maurits van Saksen 1776 - 1817

This is Christian von Mechel's engraving of the Grafmonument voor Maurits van Saksen, or the tomb monument for Marshall Maurice of Saxony. It was printed sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. The engraving depicts Jean-Baptiste Pigalle’s actual marble monument located in Strasbourg. Marshall Maurice stands heroically, halting his descent into the tomb. To his left, France, personified as a woman, attempts to hold him back, allegorizing the nation's desire to retain its war heroes. The figures and lion at the top represent his strength, while Hercules, at the bottom, embodies the weight of grief and loss. This monument, and the engraving, prompts reflection on the glorification of military figures and the symbolic language used to construct national heroes. What does it mean to memorialize a leader in this way? The engraving invites us to consider who is included and excluded from narratives of heroism.