The Eagle of Waterloo

This statue represents a wounded eagle, lifting a wing riddled with grapeshot, holding a broken flagpole in one claw on which the names of Austerlitz, Iéna (Jena), Friedland and Eckmühl can be read. […] With its beak open, the eagle seems to be crying out in despair and anger. One of its wings is beating the air desperately while the other, shattered, is drooping…

This bronze sculpture, created by Jean-Léon Gérôme at the end of the 19th century was purchased by the town. It is the exact replica of the memorial found on the site of the Battle of Waterloo (Belgium). It comes from the grounds of the artist’s property, which was destroyed in 1944 when a barge carrying ammunition, moored on the Seine, exploded.