This is a large marble sculpture by Pierre Mazeline. Mazeline was a French sculptor, born in Rouen in 1633 and died the 7th February 1708 in Paris. In 1668 he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, after creating a wall relief or medallion representing St. John the Evangelist. In his later years he focused his attention on the Garden of Versailles. He was responsible for many of the sculptures in the park and gardens around the Palace of Versailles. He was part of the team of sculptors led by Charles Le Brun, the first painter to the king, to compose the layout of the field.

This piece is part of a series of sculptures personifying a continent. It is commonly found in countries (France, Liberty and Marianne for example) and continents (See The Albert Memorial in London on Scan the World for more information) and depicted by a woman. This one in particular depicts 'Europe', representing a woman holding a shield with a lion relief and a helmet familiar with champions or Athena; looking towards the horizon the ideologies of bravery and military prowess are highlighted. The European crops are shown at the back of the statue: artichoke, squash, corn and grapes.

This is part of a series of sculptures of the Grande Commande, commissioned by King Louis XIV in 1674 for the Gardens of Versailles.

The initial project was proposed in 1674 and plans were drawn up by Charles Le Brun as to what the series of 24 sculptures could depict. The idea was to be "designed as a broad review of the effects of God on the world and a unity of man and nature" with personifications of various natural phenomenons and landmarks. The 24 sculptures were separated into individual series of four sculptures, depicting:
The Four Times of the Day - Morning, Midday, Evening, Night
Four Continents of the World - Europe, Asia, Africa, America
The Four Seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
The Four Elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water
The Four Human Temperaments - The Choleric, The Phlegmatic, The Sanguine, The Melancholic
The Four Poems - The Heroic Poem, The Lyric, The Satirical, The Pastoral

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.