This is one of the pair of obelisks in Luxor, transported to Paris in 19th Century.
It is reported that Josephine's parting words to Napoleon before he began his failed conquest of Egypt in 1798 were: "Good-by! If you go to Thebes, do send me a little obelisk." Whether or not the story is true, Napoleon's expedition first left France desiring an obelisk of its own, though it wasn't until May 1830 that the then Egyptian viceroy, Mohammed Ali, decided to give it to Charles X of France. In Oct. 25, 1833 .The obelisk is re-erected at the center of the Place where the statue of Louis XV had once stood.

In May 1998, a gold-leafed pyramid cap was placed on top of this obelisk. Historians believe its original cap was stolen in the 6th century B.C. by Assyrian or Persian invaders. When this obelisk was re-erected in 1833, experts urged the French authorities to restore the masterpiece to its original splendor by putting a pyramid cap back on the pinnacle. But it was not until French President Jacques Chiraque agreed in 1997 to back the 1.5 million franc (US$252,000) project as part of celebrations to mark Franco-Egyptian relations.