Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi first thought he might be an
architect, and later, a painter, pursuing studies of these arts in his native France
and the Middle East. Instead he became a sculptor,
applying his engineering skills to building some of the most colossal
sculptures of the 19th century. His most famous work is the monumental,
enduring symbol of freedom: the Statue of Liberty. Barry Moreno, librarian and
historian of the Statue of Liberty Monument, and author of The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia, shares detailed information
about the artist, his culinary background, and the banquet organized at the
inaugural fund-raiser on November 6,
1875. The entire menu of that lavish feast has been re-created here
by the brilliant chef David Féau of Lutèce New York
and Las Vegas:
“Although Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi was one of the most
popular French sculptors of the latter half of the 19th century, producing a
wide range of works of art, including statues, bas-reliefs, sculptural groups,
medallions, busts, fountains, and tombs, he has achieved immortal fame in the
eyes of the world with but one work alone, the colossal statue of Liberty
Enlightening the World. This monument, standing on a small island in New
York, has come to symbolize universal freedom and
democracy for people throughout the world for over a hundred years. The Statue
of Liberty, as the monument is popularly known, casts on its sculptor the
unique role as the artist credited with the contemporary world’s most revered
icon.
“Bartholdi was a native of the French
province
of Alsace, an area noted for its
delicious wines. Although he lived most of his life as a Parisian, he returned
to his native Alsace often, and
was well-acquainted with a wealth of food traditions. While in his hometown of
Colmar,
Bartholdi would have enjoyed dining on such Alsacian dishes as choucroute,
baeckeoffe, kougelhopf, and waedele, while the local wines included such
classics as . . . Sylvanar, a dry Muscat
d’Alsace, or a rich, full Gewurztraminer.
“In 1871, Bartholdi, who had already won a measure of
success with patriotic sculptural works, was commissioned by Edouard de
Laboulaye, a prominent scholar and politician, to sculpt the goddess Liberty;
Laboulaye planned to give it to the United
States to commemorate the historic relations
between the two nations at the time of America’s
centennial anniversary of independence. The iconography of the monument was
based upon French and Roman models. It was to take the form of the Roman
goddess Libertas, which had long been a symbol of freedom in Europe.
. . . Laboulaye approved Bartholdi’s clay study model for the statue in 1875,
and then he inaugurated the Franco-American Union, which was to have full
responsibility for the monument and the raising of money to pay for its
construction. One of the great fund-raising events in the pains to build the
Statue of Liberty was its kick-off banquet given at the Hotel du Louvre on
Saturday, November 6, 1875, by the Franco-American Union. . . . The event was a
glittering affair of some 200 guests, which included such distinguished names
as French president Patrice de MacMahon, U.S. ambassador Elihu Washburne,
descendents of Marquis de Lafayette . . . also present were prominent liberals
Victor Borie, Louis Wolowski, and Henri Martin. The event, which raised 40,000
francs, was thus enormously successful both financially and socially. Based on
newspaper reports, the banquet was described in Hertha Pauli’s 1948 classic
volume, I Lift My Lamp: The Way of a Symbol: ‘The splendid dining room of the
Hotel du Louvre was decked out in the red, white, and blue colors of the
American and French republics. Two hundred guests, French and American (all
male; the affair was strictly stag) sat at three tables forming a large U. At
the end a gorgeously colored transparency depicted the proposed work. Its arms
seemed to rise from the sea.’ The dinner was at once scrumptious and symbolic.
Its leading dishes were specially named for the occasion.”
Lady Liberty Banquet
Serves 6
Potage Pritanier—Mock Turtle à l’Américaine
Hors d’Oeuvres variés
Turbot à la Hollandaise—Croustades à la Washington
Buissons d’Écrevisses de la Meuse
(Sauce à la truffle noire)
Filet de Boeuf Lafayette
Cotelettes d’Agneau aux petit-pois
Poularde Caroline
Faisan et Perdeaux Bardés
Salade de chicorée
Haricots verts à la Mâitre d’hotel
Turbans d’Ananas au Kirsch
Parfait glace au café
Dessert assorti
Wines: Marsala,
Bordeaux
en Carafon, Haut-Sauternes, Cos d’Estournel 1865, Chambolles 1858, Clos Vougeot
1868, Veuve Clicquot extra sec, Clicquot superior
Café et Liqueurs
Copyright © Frank Fedele/DK Publishing
If you are interested in the complete recipe including
directions, click on the book's cover.
The Artist's Palate
A stunning cookbook, suitable for the coffee table as well as the kitchen
counter, The Artist's Palate contains an unprecedented collection of favorite
recipes from some of the most famous international artists throughout history
including the Statue of Liberty's inaugural fund-raiser.
