Alexandre Descatoire

Alexandre Descatoire (22 August 1874 – 7 March 1949) was a French sculptor.

Descatoire was born in Douai and was a pupil of André-Louis-Adolphe Laoust. Educated at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Descatoire was runner up for the Prix de Rome of 1902.

Much of his work is war memorials. One of the best known is at Douai, inaugurated on 23 July 1927. A central bas-relief represents the Victory of the Lion of Flanders, flanked by a crossbowman and a machine gunner. The monument was damaged during bombing on 11 August 1944 but has been restored. The inclusion of a crossbowman refers back to another dramatic episode in Douaisian history, the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle in 1324, when 600 citizens of Douai lost their lives.

Other works by Descatoire include:

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