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Origin and history

The Guesclin statue, originally named A companion of Duguesclin at Cocherel: B. Goyer de Matignon, is a bronze equestrian work by Arthur Le Duc in the 1910s. Presented at the Salon des artistes français in 1912 in the form of plaster, she represents Bertrand II de Goyon, seigneur of Matignon, a banner holder of Bertrand du Guesclin at the Battle of Cocherel (1364). The sculptor, a specialist in animals, celebrates the movement and medieval reconstruction, his favourite period. The bronze version, melted by René Fulda in 1914, remained in the artist's studio until his death in 1918.

In 1920, the widow of Arthur Le Duc offered the statue to the Calvados department, where the artist was a general adviser. Initially planned in front of the prefecture, it was finally installed in Place Saint-Martin in 1921, oriented towards the castle of Caen. The pedestal, designed by architect André Guillemin-Tarayre, was engraved in 1925 with the name Bertrand du Guesclin, despite the coat of arms of the Goyon de Matignon visible on the rider's surcote. The statue, saved from the cast iron under Vichy for its artistic interest, was restored in 2010-2011.

Ranked a historical monument in 2006, the statue depicts a medieval charge scene, with a 14th century knight in armor and a dynamic gallop horse. Arthur Le Duc, formed by Antoine-Louis Barye, is inspired by the movement studies of Eadwear Muybridge and Étienne-Jules Marey to translate speed and balance. The rider, standing on his briefcase, brandished his sword while the horse treads a banner on the ground, adding a support point to the composition. The work combines heroic tribute and technical virtuosity, typical of the animal style of its author.

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