This equestrian statue of Henry IV is located on the Pont-Neuf in Paris. The original work had been commissioned by Marie de Medici after the death of her spouse in 1610. The Italian Giambologna, student of Michelangelo, was in charge of sculpting it. The statue was then transported by boat but the ship sank and the horse and rider were only fished out a year later.
As many other sculptures depicting kings, this work was destroyed during the French Revolution. However, it was rebuilt, first temporarily in 1814 and then permanently in 1818. The bronze used for it came from the melting of Napoleon’s statue placed on top of the Vendome column, which was demolished after the fall of the Empire. So recycling was already on-trend in the 19th century.
