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On this date 576 years ago, Joan of Arc was handed over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon for interrogation. The nineteen-year-old French heroine is today a much beloved figure celebrated in books, movies, and paintings. One of the most famous paintings of Joan is Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’ “Joan of Arc at Coronation of Charles VII.” In honor of Joan and Ingres, who died in January 1867, let’s take a closer look at “Joan of Arc at Coronation of Charles VII.”
1. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was 73 when he painted “Joan of Arc at Coronation of Charles VII.” A large portion of the work for the painting was done by assistants. A year later, one of Ingres’ students produced an almost identical painting. The only major difference? In the student’s painting, Joan isn’t wearing a skirt.
2. Both an artist and musician himself, Ingres became engaged to Marie-Anne-Julie Forestier, a painter and musician, in 1806. The engagement fell apart, though, when Ingres refused to return to Paris from Rome after his Salon exhibit that year received harsh criticism from the public and other artists. Seven years later, he married Madeleine Chappelle, whom he had courted through letters and to whom he had proposed without ever meeting her. The marriage was quite happy, and he was devastated when she died in 1849. Three years later, he married Delphine Ramel, and enjoyed just as happy a marriage as his first one.
3. Joan’s plate armor in the painting was artistic license (common among many artists); she never wore plate armor in real life.
4. Napoleon’s reign collapsed while Ingres was in Rome, leaving Ingres stranded without patronage. He was left to earn his livelihood drawing small pencil portraits of tourists, work that he considered menial. Visitors would ask, “Is this where the man who draws the little portraits lives?” Ingres would answer, “No the man who lives here is a painter!”
5. Ingres only attended school for six years, as his school closed when he was only 11. Although he later went on to study art and music at the Académie Royale de Peinture, Sculpture et Architecture, he remained insecure about his lack of schooling.
6. When Ingres died, his studio contained over 4,000 drawings, as well as several major paintings and his violin (he was second violinist in an orchestra as a teen and continued to play the rest of his life). The artwork and the violin were bequeathed to the city museum of Montauban, which has now become the Musée Ingres.
Comments (9)
Comment
One of the most enthralling books I read as a kid was a biography of Joan of Arc (or Jean d’Arc) when we were assigned a biography book report. She’s a fascinating figure, and it’s always interesting to see her portrayed in art.
posted by Therese on 1-3-2008 at 1:59 pm
I was assigned to do a report in college on Joan of Arc.
Joan was alson known as La Pucelle. A sketch of La Pucelle in the margin of the Paris Parliamentary registar beside the entry, dated 10 May 1429, recording the relief of Orleans. The sketch, probably made by the Clerk to the Parliament, is thought to be the only contemporary drawing of Joan.
posted by Cass on 1-3-2008 at 8:57 pm
I’ll say that plate armor is “artistic license”! How would she ever sit a horse with those points in front of her thighs? Not to mention the waist — a little out of proportion, hmmm? It matches the neck on the helm. Tsk.
posted by Larriann on 1-3-2008 at 10:56 pm
A little tidbit about Ingres playing the violin: there’s a common french expression, “Violon d’Ingres”, Ingres’ violin, which describes a hobby, a passion playing “second fiddle” to one’s main activity.
Thought you’d like to know!
posted by flyermoney on 1-4-2008 at 6:25 am
I’ve enjoyed your article regarding Joan Of Arc.Coming up! Joan Of Arc was born on January 6th 1412. Are you planning an article on her on that date too possibly?
posted by rev.roger russell on 1-4-2008 at 6:34 am
flyermoney: Thanks! I had no idea about that expression.
rev.roger russell: I’m not sure if they’ll be another Joan of Arc post on the 6th. I don’t have one planned, but I don’t know if any of the other contributors do.
posted by Andréa on 1-4-2008 at 1:15 pm
A worthy point to note:
(1) Ingres himself is depicted in the painting - standing, just above the friar.
posted by Laura on 1-4-2008 at 3:09 pm
rev rog rus: as much as Joan d’Arc is a very important historical figure, one has to know that the main french far-right political party, unmentionable as it is, has appropriated Joan’s birth/death anniversary many times in recent history as their own twisted manifestation of nationalism. Joan is great, misguided patriotism s*cks, big time.
Don’t feed the animosity.
posted by flyermoney on 1-6-2008 at 1:31 am
Ingres painting of Joan of Arc is really beautiful. There is a whole sequence of pictures including this one online at www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_pictures.asp Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
posted by Em on 2-6-2008 at 8:44 pm