[3] It stands in the centre of Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein in Ixelles, with its back to the former Brussels-Luxembourg railway station's entrance and to the postmodern buildings of the Espace Léopold, seat of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Specifically, the statue of the mechanic Beaufort, one of the four figures surrounding the industrialist, was torn from the pedestal and left on the ground, in the middle of burning wooden pallets.

[5][6][1][7] According to Yves Rouyet, Ixelles' Heritage Councillor: "It has a crack in its arm, leg and lower back; the worker's tool melted and the extreme heat removed the patina".

[1][2] The pedestal, topped with a laurel wreath, is decorated on each side with medallions that once contained the bronze effigies of some of Cockerill's main collaborators: Rau, Pastor, Poncelet, Memminger, Alexander, Wéry and Brialmont, as can seen on old postcards.

[10] The corners of the pedestal are flanked by four workers: the glass-blower or blacksmith Lognoul, the mechanic Beaufort, the puddler Lejeune and the coal miner Jacquemin.