Jeanne d'Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet

Emmanuel Frémiet
1824–1910 | French

Jeanne d’Arc

Signed “E FREMIET”

This commanding bronze of Jeanne d’Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet captures one of the most enduring symbols of French national identity. Joan appears triumphant, raising her banner skyward as her mount advances in a spirited, elevated stride. Created during the height of Frémiet’s fame as a major sculptor of the Third Republic, the work reflects a cultural moment defined by national revival and renewed admiration for heroic figures following the Franco-Prussian War.

The composition is remarkably dynamic. Joan’s armor is rendered with crisp, deliberate articulation, while the horse’s anatomy is modeled with a striking sense of tension and motion. The banner, swept into elegant curves, introduces a vertical rhythm that enhances the sculpture’s heroic subject. The gilt laurel wreath punctuates the work with a note of triumph.

Emmanuel Frémiet, nephew and pupil of François Rude, earned wide renown as both an animal sculptor and an accomplished creator of monumental public works. His first equestrian Jeanne d’Arc, erected in 1874 at the Place des Pyramides in Paris, became one of the defining images of the Third Republic and inspired related versions in cities including Philadelphia, Portland and New Orleans. A medal of honor recipient at the Salon of 1887 and later an Officer of the Legion of Honor, Frémiet held influential posts at the Paris Museum of Natural History and the Académie des Beaux-Arts. His works reside today in the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée du Luxembourg and major public collections across France.

Late 19th century

29" high x 16 1/2” wide x 8“ deep