Seen from the ground, the golden tip of the obelisk (called the pyramid) on the Place de la Concorde in Paris appeared to be pointed, but it wasn’t: a tip was finally added on Tuesday, restoring the oldest monument in Paris to its original aesthetic .
Photo: AFP
A jewel of international heritage and a symbol of the splendor of Egyptian history, the Luxor obelisk was given to France by Egypt in 1830 in recognition of Champollion’s decipherment of the hieroglyphs and “arrived in Paris without its top eroding over the centuries.” was. ‘ Isabelle Morin-Loutrel, curator of historical monuments, told AFP.
“The hieroglyphs and bas-reliefs of Egyptian tombs show pointed obelisks. We don’t know how long the Luxor obelisk has been inactive, but probably for a very long time,” stresses Ms. Morin-Loutrel.
The top of the obelisk erected on the Place de la Concorde in 1836 at the initiative of Louis-Philippe remained in the state of a tree stump until 1998.
Photo: AFP
With the support of the Bergé-Saint Laurent Foundation, a golden pyramidion was then installed, albeit without a point for technical reasons. The unfinished top of the pyramidion crowning the obelisk had been damaged by volatiles.
As part of a new restoration project launched in 2022, the obelisk now receives its perfect tip through the installation of a steel spike covered in gold leaf, carried out by the Ateliers d’art Saint-Jacques and the Coubertin foundry, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture .
Photo: AFP
Carved in pink rock alongside granite, the Place de la Concorde obelisk, property of the French state, is one of a pair erected in front of the Temple of Amun in Luxor 3,300 years ago during the reign of Ramses II. It is 23 meters high and weighs 220 tons, not including its 240-ton base.