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Equestrian Statue of Joan of Arc

The equestrian statue of Joan of Arc is a monumental bronze sculpture by French sculptor Paul Dubois. It portrays Joan of Arc as both a warrior and a divinely inspired visionary. The original plaster was presented at the Salon in 1889, following a commission from the city of Reims in 1887. Dubois donated it in 1902 to the Musée Paul-Dubois-Alfred Boucher in Nogent-sur-Seine, now an annex of the Musée Camille Claudel. An earlier plaster version is held at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Four casts of the sculpture are in public settings, including Reims, Paris, and Washington.

Joan of Arc equestrian statue in medieval armor holding a raised sword on a stone pedestal in Paris.
The equestrian statue of Joan of Arc stands on a stone pedestal with a clear sky and city buildings behind it.
October 2011 © · CC0
Joan of Arc statue on horseback, holding a sword upright against a blue sky
A close view of the Joan of Arc equestrian statue, showing the armored rider raising a sword.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Equestrian statue of Joan of Arc on a tall pedestal behind an iron fence, with a large building and bare trees in the background.
Joan of Arc’s equestrian statue in Paris, shown with the surrounding fence and nearby buildings.
© [s. n.] · CC0
Joan of Arc equestrian statue on a stone pedestal in front of an ornate cathedral facade with a golden rose window.
The Joan of Arc statue stands before the ornate facade of Saint-Augustin Church in Paris.
October 2022 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Close-up of the Joan of Arc statue pedestal with a French engraved inscription in capital letters.
The inscribed stone pedestal of Paul Dubois’s Joan of Arc equestrian statue in Paris.
December 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleJoan of Arc
SubjectJoan of Arc
TypeBronze equestrian statue

Creator

ArtistPaul Dubois
Artist nationalityFrench

Iconography and meaning

Artistic intentionDubois sought to give the figure a mystical expression
DepictionJoan of Arc shown as a warrior and divinely inspired visionary
Comparison with Emmanuel FrémietUnlike Emmanuel Frémiet's 1874 equestrian portrait at Place des Pyramides, Dubois shows Joan of Arc brandishing a sword instead of holding a standard
Pose and attitudeRiding a horse at a trot, torso slightly turned, head turned toward the sky
GestureShe brandishes a sword in her right hand; the Washington version holds the horse's reins in her left hand with the right arm raised behind her

Historical context

Historical interpretationIn the late 19th century, Joan of Arc's exaltation also had symbolic and political significance linked to the loss of Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870
Original plaster presented atthe Salon in 1889
Purpose of commissionTo create a monument to Joan of Arc
Contract signedPaul Dubois, architect Alphonse Gosset, and notary Raoul Douce
Public subscription launched1888
Commissioned bythe city of Reims / the Académie nationale de Reims
Commission date1887

Materials

Model versionNon-final plaster version
MaterialBronze
Model materialPlaster

Technique

Casting processLost-wax process

Discovery and provenance

Third exemplar date1897
Washington replica initiativeFirst proposed in May 1916 by Polifème to the Fine Arts Commission to celebrate French-American friendship
Washington replicaCompleted in Paris in 1922 for Washington, D.C.
Other bronze cast programIncluded in the Smithsonian Institution's program in 1994
Other bronze castA bronze cast by Eugène Rudier, signed Alexis Rudier
Third exemplar original inauguration locationGarden of the Palais du Rhin, Strasbourg
Washington replica donorOffered by Le Lyceum Société des femmes de France to the women of the United States of America
Third exemplar shown atExposition Universelle of 1900
Third exemplar qualityOf better quality
Second exemplar casterEdmond Gruet
Number of cast exemplarsThree exemplars were made
First exemplar commission date1890
First exemplar casterPierre Bingen
First exemplar completion date1896
First exemplar locationPlace du Cardinal-Luçon, Reims
First exemplar donationOffered to the city
Third exemplar materialBronze
First exemplar inaugurationInaugurated by President Félix Faure
Second exemplar exhibited from1895
Second exemplar qualityOf poor quality
Second exemplar former locationsPeristyle of the Panthéon in Paris; later in front of Saint-Augustin Church, Paris
Third exemplar casterEdmond Gruet
Second exemplar ownershipMusée d'Orsay

History and restoration

Strasbourg statue damageBroken by the Nazis in 1940
Strasbourg statue inaugurationInaugurated on an unspecified date; later reinstalled and solemnly inaugurated again after restoration on an unspecified date
Strasbourg statue original locationPlace de la République, in the Garden of the Palais du Rhin
Washington replica condition assessmentA 1994 inspection showed that restoration work was needed
Washington replica inauguration date6 January 1922
Strasbourg statue wartime preservationStored at the Port du Rhin during the war and saved from melting down
Strasbourg statue restorationRestored after 1945, mainly from recovered pieces, especially the head
Strasbourg statue missing elementThe sword originally held in the right hand was stolen in 1978
Third exemplar reinaugurationRe-inaugurated on an unspecified date
World War I historyThe statue in Reims was protected during World War I
Third exemplar wartime damageDestroyed during the Second World War
Third exemplar reconstructionReconstructed after the war

Location and ownership

Current/known context image locationPlace Saint-Augustin, Paris
Other bronze cast locationMeridian Hill Park, Washington
Paris locationIn front of Saint-Augustin Church, Paris, 8th arrondissement
Washington replica planned locationTerrace of Meridian Hill Park
Washington replica current locationMeridian Hill Park, Washington
Third exemplar current locationParvis of Saint-Maurice Church, Strasbourg
Original placementAt the forecourt of Reims Cathedral, facing away from the cathedral to evoke Joan of Arc leaving it after the coronation of Charles VII
Current locationPlace du Cardinal-Luçon, Reims
Strasbourg statue current locationPlace Arnold, Strasbourg
Model locationNy Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen; probably now in the collections of the Musée Camille-Claudel

Physical characteristics

PedestalGranite base with three levels; 1.32 m high and 3.35 m wide
HeadgearHelmet with raised visor

Other

Pedestal inscriptionAn inscription is present on the pedestal; the Washington replica bears: 'JEANNE D'ARC / LIBERATRICE / 1412-1431 / AUX FEMMES D'AMERIQUE / LES FEMMES DE FRANCE / A NEW YORK / LE 6 JANVIER 1922'
Washington replica inauguration attendeesPresident Harding and the French ambassador, with their wives, were guests of honor

Significance

Washington replica praiseHenry Bacon wrote that it was one of the most beautiful things in the world and that no setting was too beautiful for it
Washington replica critical receptionArtists considered it the most beautiful modern equestrian statue
Washington replica commemorative tributePaul Claudel paid tribute to it on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Joan of Arc while serving as French ambassador to the United States (1928-1933)