Joan of Arc

Joan 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.