Lyon Presqu'Ile, Statue Place Bellecour

The statue in the centre of the square is an equestrian bronze statue of Louis XIV represented in the antique style (Louis XIV has no stirrups). The original was made in 1715 by Martin Desjardins but the current statue is of François-Frédéric Lemot, 1825. This work is the sole survivor of Desjardins’ work destroyed during the French Revolution. The statues on the bronze pedestal represent the Rhône and the Saône and were realized by Guillaume and Nicolas Coustou between 1719 and 1721. They were preserved during the Revolution and kept in safekeeping at the Hotel de Ville. Note that the Rhône is often represented by a bearded man.