A Lesson in Humility
Secret Treasures of the Richelieu Wing
Milo of Croton
Pierre Puget
‘The poor man! How he suffers!’
That was how Queen Marie-Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV, reacted to this work.
Milo of Croton, a famous athlete of Antiquity, unrivalled wrestler and several times winner of the Olympic Games, wanted to show that age had not affected his strength. He tried to split a tree trunk with his bare hands. But, overconfident and over the hill, he couldn't pull his hand out again. Trapped, he was devoured by wolves.
The sculptor Pierre Puget chose to replace the wolves by a lion, a more noble animal. And rightly so: this Milo was meant for Louis XIV. The king found this work to his taste. He gave it a prime place in the central walk of the gardens of Versailles, facing Perseus and Andromeda, which you may see to the left of Milo.
Expressing Pain
Puget’s treatment makes pain visible not only on Milo’s features but also in every detail of his body. This pain is moral as well as physical. The cup on the ground, won in an athletic contest, is the symbol of a transient glory.