Baron Dhanis

The statue of Baron Dhanis, created by Frans Joris in 1913, was part of a larger monument that no longer exists today. The original monument paid tribute to officer Francis Dhanis (1862–1909) and his activities in the Congo Free State, where, at the service of King Leopold II, he led military campaigns that violently conquered vast parts of Eastern Congo. 

Antwerp sculptor Frans Joris made the three bronze statues that composed the monument: the statue of Dhanis himself, the statue of the “Arab slave trader” (also on view in the open-air depot of the Antwerp public art collection), and the statue of an anonymous nude Congolese woman with child. Dhanis, with his distinctive moustache, is portrayed as a heroic figure in military uniform and pith helmet, raising his rifle triumphantly in the air. 

The monument was unveiled on 12 October 1913 on the former Zuiderlei (today Amerikalei), near Saint Michael’s Church. In 1950, the City Council decided, due to increasing traffic, to move the monument to the garden of the former Colonial School (today the Middelheim campus of the University of Antwerp). In 1983, the monument was severely damaged during a storm, and the bronze statues were placed in storage. Years later, the statue of the Congolese woman and her child disappeared, as did Dhanis’ left arm, the lower part of his rifle, and his sabre. The pedestal of this spectacular tableau vivant can still be discerned beneath the vegetation beside the Middelheim university campus entrance gate. 

Frans Joris (1851–1914) was a Belgian sculptor, known for his monumental and symbolic works. A pupil of Jozef Geefs and professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.