The Iron Man By François Hilbert - Strasbourg 1749

Exceptional replica in boiled cardboard of the famous statue of François HILBERT that he made to highlight his business. The man was in fact a "blacksmith of weapons" and ran an armory on the ground floor of a square in Strasbourg. He made a life-size man in armor representing a municipal patrol sergeant from the end of the 16th century that he fixed to his facade in 1749. The sign then gave the name of Place de L'HOMME DE FER from the 18th century. This reproduction in very high quality boiled cardboard was made in the 1830s. The height of 53 cm (up to the helmet) is remarkable for a figurine of this material which rarely exceeds thirty cm. The removable halberd is indeed original. The wooden base is modern, the rest is perfectly in its original condition, with a few small defects and unimportant gaps