ABSTRACT
Returning to the political climate in Belgium, the Liberal Party had governed Belgium from 1846 until 1870, after an intermission by the Catholic reign between 1870 and 1878. After a long period of prosperity throughout Western Europe, the overall economy passed into a period of depression between 1873 and 1893, from which Belgium was by no means excluded. Gustave Lagye did not recognize that French sculptors enriched the developments in Belgium, or contributed to the rise and success of terra cotta sculpture in the country. Despite the period of economic recession, Lagye nonetheless stated that Belgian sculptors generally commanded respect and recognition from abroad. Although Lagye's proposal was probably too extensive to be feasible, it did strike a nerve at the heart of a serious problem. Local and national government officials employed many Belgian sculptors through their investment in grand commissions. The patriotic sentiments sculptures were intended to evoke remained remarkably similar throughout the century.
