A stroll around Toulon harbour reveals the statue of the Genius of Navigation and Pierre Puget's Atlantes.
Le Génie de la navigation (5.40m) is a bronze sculpture by Louis-Joseph Daumas, created in 1845. Standing on a white marble pedestal, the statue faces the sea. A sort of allegory for the conquering spirit of great sailors, with its back to the town hall, it was renamed "Cuverville", after Admiral Jules de Cuverville. Mutilated by the bombardments of 1944, the colossus was not returned to its original position until 1997.
The façade of the town hall, meanwhile, is home to the Atlantes by sculptor Pierre Puget. The ensemble represents two stone men, their faces torn by the weight of the balcony they support. Commissioned by the town council in 1656, the portal was installed the following year.
Saved from destruction by cladding during the bombing raids of World War II, the Atlantes were reinstalled on the façade of the new Hôtel de Ville in 1953.
The façade of the town hall, meanwhile, is home to the Atlantes by sculptor Pierre Puget. The ensemble represents two stone men, their faces torn by the weight of the balcony they support. Commissioned by the town council in 1656, the portal was installed the following year.
Saved from destruction by cladding during the bombing raids of World War II, the Atlantes were reinstalled on the façade of the new Hôtel de Ville in 1953.
