A hundred years after his death, a statue of Lavoisier was erected in Paris and much admired until someone pointed out that it looked nothing like him. Under questioning the sculptor admitted that he had used the head of the mathematician and philosopher the Marquis de Condorcet-apparently he had a spare-in the hope that no one would notice or, having noticed, would care. In the second regard he was correct. The statue of Lavoisier-cum- Condorcet was allowed to remain in place for another half century until the Second World War when, one morning, it was taken away and melted down for scrap.
A century after Antoine Lavoisier's death, a statue was erected in his honor in Paris, but it was soon discovered that the likeness did not resemble him at all. The sculptor, when questioned, revealed that he had used the head of the Marquis de Condorcet instead, hoping no one would notice the mistake. Surprisingly, the public seemed indifferent to the inaccuracy, and the statue remained in place for many years without protest.
Ultimately, the statue, which inaccurately represented Lavoisier, was only removed during World War II when it was taken down and melted for scrap metal. This reflects the lack of attention people gave to historical accuracy in public monuments and highlights an intriguing aspect of how figures from the past are remembered.
