The French sculptor Alphonse Saladin made many monumental, allegorical sculptures for public space; these are naturalistic in style and often dramatic in tone. The theme is often derived from mythology, the Bible and history; he also made busts of French national heroes, for example of Auguste Rodin and the poet Albert Méral. Saladin was trained by Jean Marie Mengue (1855-1949) and exhibited his work regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris. He was awarded several times, including the Légion d'honneur in 1932.