Joan of Arc

graphite, red chalk, colored washes, and black and white gouacheErnest Meissonier (French, 1815–1891)/c. 1889

Description

This drawing is a rare study relating to Ernest Meissonier's never-realized mural for the Pantheon in Paris. After seeking and receiving the commission in 1874, Meisonnier procrastinated on the project for many years. Here, the French heroine Joan of Arc appears at center, without a helmet, on a bare white horse, staring ahead with steadfast calm. The figure of Joan in this drawing appears to correspond to the subject in a now-lost design for the complete painting, which Meissonier presented in 1889.

Provenance

Estate of the artist; (his studio sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, May 18-20, 1893, no. 464); Alfred Hartmann, Mulhouse; (his sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 12-15, 1899, no. 92); (sale, Sotheby-Parke-Bernet, New York, October 3, 1975, no. 169, sold to Muriel Butkin, Shaker Heights, OH); Muriel Butkin [1916-2008], Shaker Heights, OH, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

18.8 × 30.3 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Drawings

Accession No

2008.358

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Ernest Meissonier (French, 1815–1891)

Drawings • France, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

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