Born in Lyon, Jean Carriès is one of the most original French sculptors of the second half of the 19th century. His work includes numerous fictional characters who represent the 'déshérités'  – the “deprived” – or subjects dressed in period costume.  The Warrior belongs to the latter category. The artist turns himself into the subject of this work in the form of a fictional self-portrait, dressed in a suit of armour and wearing a morion, a Spanish helmet used in the 16th century, characterised by a crest in its centre. His emaciated features cannot help but bring to mind Francisco de Zurbarán's Saint Francis, a work in the museum collections which made a strong impression on Carriès during his youth. Despite its warlike appearance, this piece has a meditative, melancholic quality.

The artist created several versions of this bust in patinated plaster before entrusting the casting of bronze models to Pierre Bingen in 1884. Each version has a different surface appearance. Fascinated by the diversity of colour that could be achieved using patinas, in particular after discovering Japanese stoneware at the 1878 World Fair in Paris, Carriès constantly tested new ideas, which allowed him to create an infinitely subtle variety of shades. He was simultaneously developing ceramic techniques, which would lead him to spend the final years of his life in Puisaye, north-west of Burgundy, and which influenced his sculptural work.