The marquis de Tourny

This terracotta model is a wonderful example of the artist's skill, and was the presentation model for the marble statue of the marquis de Tourny (intendant of Guyenne from 1743 to 1757), commissioned by the Town of Bordeaux from Marin in 1820. The Town wished to remind its inhabitants of the golden age of its prosperity and to pay tribute to the man who had initiated great urban development projects and many embellishments of the town (destruction of the ramparts, redevelopment of the quays, gates, lanes and courtyards, completion of Place Royal etc.).

This preparatory work presents the marquis as a determined man of action, showing the town with a broad gesture of his arm and holding a plan in the other hand. At his feet, a rudder and a cornucopia overflowing with fruit symbolise the fortune of the port and the richness of its hinterland. The attitude of the intendant is very natural, almost triumphant.

The marble statue was installed in 1825 in the centre of Place Tourny, but removed in 1899 and replaced by a bronze statue of the same Tourny, a work by Gaston Veuvenot-Leroux. It is today preserved in the Museum of Aquitaine.