Vandalized in 2021, the "Jar Carrier" by sculptor Marcel-André Bouraine is back in Biot

"She's at home..." Ghislaine isn't the only one to say out loud what the people of Biot hold deep in their hearts. " She's 3.20 m tall, weighs 700 kg of terracotta and, raised on a base, draped in her sculpted beauty, her arms restored, raised towards the sun, "The Jar Carrier" now watches over access to the city of potters.

On Saturday morning, the statue's unveiling in its new quarters was celebrated as a homecoming.

The work, donated by the Art Deco sculptor Marcel-André Bouraine (1886-1948) and restored after four years of meticulous work, has left its bronze twin to take its place in front of the Biot station, in Antibes, where it has welcomed passengers since 1951 [read our article of March 20, 2025] to return not far from the workshops where it was born.

"A message of authenticity and identity"

" When people arrive here, they will think: we are in Biot, and those in the area will think: we are at home. It is a message of authenticity and identity, " proclaims Jean Leonetti, mayor of Antibes and president of the Sophia Antipolis Urban Community (Casa).

In 2021, after the shock caused by the acts of vandalism , it was clear that the marine effect had also prematurely aged the petrified young woman. "We could have said: now that it's broken, we'll stick it in a corner, but there was a strong and legitimate desire from our two towns, linked by a deep friendship, specifies the elected official. It is not a gift from the town hall of Antibes Juan-les-Pins, it is a restitution. "The question remained where to exhibit the earth giant... " We asked ourselves this perilous question, because it is our cultural and artistic memory , assures Jean-Pierre Dermit, mayor of Biot. This timeless sculpture, symbol of our heritage rooted in the earth, has taken its place at the entrance to the town, not far from the media library, the CCAS, in front of the school and a few meters from the artist's studio. "It is indeed at number 9 Chemin Neuf, at Pierres Vives that the designer Marcel-André Bouraine settled in the 1920s; and it was in the town that he died in 1948, eight years after his wife, also a sculptor, was buried in the old cemetery. Another advantage of the site: the proximity of a video surveillance camera because, after a restoration costing 43,707 euros – 20% of which was for Biot – caution is advised.

But who was Bouraine's model?

Before and after the ceremony, the many selfies already announced the "Instagrammable" side of the spot and, in a few hours, the return of the Biotoise, as she is nicknamed, has already awakened memories. It is said that it was a young girl from the village who posed as a model. " A Miss Adam, born around 1908, and who was one of the 30 families who repopulated Biot " posts a resident on social networks, while others bring out photos in the colors of the past.