Champollion's Return to the Collège de France

On the morning of July 16, 2026, Jean-François Champollion was returned to his place in the center of the main courtyard. A crane was deployed to install the resin replica of this sculpture by Auguste Bartholdi; the original, which had been weakened by prolonged exposure to pollution and weather conditions, is now on display at the Camille Claudel Museum in Nogent-sur-Seine, in the Aube department. Weighing nearly 1.3 metric tons, the resin replica was placed on its pedestal after being lowered through the air over the gate of the Collège de France. This marks the final stage of a major conservation and restoration project, launched in 2025 and the result of technical and scientific collaboration among several specialized workshops; the cast, modeled after Bartholdi’s marble original, was completed a few days ago by the Prométhée workshop using a mold crafted by the art workshops of the Grand Palais RMN.