This statue overlooking Place Nationale, with its back to Saint-Jacques church, represents Dieppe captain and Huguenot Abraham Duquesne (1610 ? ? 1688).
A captain from the age of sixteen, he entered the service of Queen Christine of Sweden, before joining the service of Louis XIV on his return to Dieppe in 1647. Administrator and associate of Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1983), he contributed to the development of naval construction and armament.
In 1665, he was appointed lieutenant-general of the naval armies and took part in numerous battles. His most famous feat was his victory over the Dutch admiral Ruyter in 1676, which brought him international fame. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 worried Protestants, especially officers, but not Abraham Duquesne, who enjoyed the esteem of the king. He was buried in France in 1688, and his son Henri took his heart to Switzerland.
The statue created by Antoine Dantan (1798-1878), a sculptor from Dieppe, in 1844, is in keeping with the exaltation of local heroes. This depiction of Abraham Duquesne is heroic, posed as a victorious sailor, his victorious gaze focused on the horizon, adorned with naval attributes such as a megaphone, anchor and mortar.
