a La Maison Francaise entryway
Alfred Janniot's 10-short-ton (8.9-long-ton) gilded bronze engraving above [La Maison Franciase' Fifth Avenue] entrance measures 11 feet (3.4 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) tall. It contains personifications of France and New York holding hands above the ocean. The personification of France holds the Notre Dame on her lap and the scroll unfurling behind is inscribed with the Latin motto of Paris: "fluctuat nec mergitur" (it floats, but never sinks). The personification of New York sits in front of an unfurling scroll with the state's name, as well as a carving of Rockefeller Center's skyscrapers. Below are three female personifications of poetry, beauty, and elegance in varying states of dress. The engraving also contains birds, plants, and fruits.
Above this bronze engraving, Janniot also sculpted a cartouche of a female personification of French freedom, with the French motto "liberté, egalité, fraternité" (liberty, equality, fraternity) inscribed below. The figure measures 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and about 11 feet (3.4 m) wide. The woman is depicted in a twisted position amid a green background. Her left hand holds a torch of freedom aloft, while her right hand points downward, holding olive branches and laurel wreaths. The figure's left breast is barely covered, which was meant to symbolize danger, while her pose was intended to signify triumph.
a La Maison Francaise entryway
Alfred Janniot's 10-short-ton (8.9-long-ton) gilded bronze engraving above [La Maison Franciase' Fifth Avenue] entrance measures 11 feet (3.4 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) tall. It contains personifications of France and New York holding hands above the ocean. The personification of France holds the Notre Dame on her lap and the scroll unfurling behind is inscribed with the Latin motto of Paris: "fluctuat nec mergitur" (it floats, but never sinks). The personification of New York sits in front of an unfurling scroll with the state's name, as well as a carving of Rockefeller Center's skyscrapers. Below are three female personifications of poetry, beauty, and elegance in varying states of dress. The engraving also contains birds, plants, and fruits.
Above this bronze engraving, Janniot also sculpted a cartouche of a female personification of French freedom, with the French motto "liberté, egalité, fraternité" (liberty, equality, fraternity) inscribed below. The figure measures 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and about 11 feet (3.4 m) wide. The woman is depicted in a twisted position amid a green background. Her left hand holds a torch of freedom aloft, while her right hand points downward, holding olive branches and laurel wreaths. The figure's left breast is barely covered, which was meant to symbolize danger, while her pose was intended to signify triumph.