Joan of Arc
Maker
Princess Marie-Christine D'Orléans
(French, 1813-1839)
Dateafter 1835
MediumCast silvered bronze
DimensionsHeight: 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm)
11 5/8 × 4 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (29.5 × 10.8 × 10.8 cm)
11 5/8 × 4 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (29.5 × 10.8 × 10.8 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, Gift of the Friends of the Smart Gallery, 1983
Object number1983.4a-b
Object TypeSculpture
On View
Not on viewJoan of Arc as pious warrior and introspective woman of action: the contradictions multiply in this image of France’s legendary savior and martyr. The sculptor was a royal princess: Marie-Christine d’Orléans, the daughter of French king Louis-Philippe. At the king’s request, she made a marble life-size statue of Joan of Arc for the château of Versailles, then being turned into a state museum. After the premature death of the princess, demand soared for bronze reductions of the statue. Some saw a link between Joan and the young princess, both of whom challenged the conventions of their sex.
