Au Panthéon des statues aux propriétés magiques, figure en bonne place celle de Montaigne. Installée Place Paul Painlevé en 1933, la sculpture d’origine de Paul Landowski, était faite de marbre blanc. Les fantaisies estudiantines dont elle fut l’objet la dégradèrent rapidement. La rumeur prétendait que toucher la chaussure du philosophe permettait d’exaucer les vœux les plus fous. Lassée par le coût des restaurations successives, la Mairie décida en 1989 de remplacer le marbre par un bronze plus résistant, dont le pied droit, victime de la tradition persistante, perdra très vite sa patine.
Out of all the ‘magic’ statues in Paris, that of Montaigne is one of the best known. The original sculpture by Paul Landowski was made in white marble, and installed in Place Paul Painlevé in 1933. When students from the nearby Sorbonne made the statue into an object of ritual, however, it quickly began to suffer damage. According to legend, touching the philosopher’s shoe could make even the wildest wishes come true. Eventually, after several restorations, the local council decided to replace the marble statue a more resilient bronze replica. The legend, however, has persevered, and the new statue’s right foot very soon had its patent polished off by countless hopeful wish-makers.
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