Joan Of Arc On Her Knees - Emmanuel Fremiet 1842-1910

Dimensions: Height: approx. 44 cm; Length: approx. 23.5 cm; Width: approx. 14.5 cm. Signature: On the base: E. Frémiet. Material: Sèvres biscuit porcelain. The statue is in good condition with no chips. The sword is missing.

It rests on a rectangular base. Created the year after his equestrian Joan of Arc, Emmanuel Frémiet sculpted, with this version, a praying, contemplative Joan of Arc, more feminine with her hair loose despite still wearing her armor. He initially envisioned it as a tomb statue; however, no commission ever materialized. Therefore, while collaborating sporadically with the Sèvres porcelain factory, Emmanuel Frémiet offered the model in 1898. Cast in biscuit porcelain, the statuette met with modest success. The Sèvres porcelain factory produced it until 1942. This Sèvres version of a work by Emmanuel Fremiet remains extremely rare. The kneeling position, which strongly inclines Joan of Arc's body backward, highlights her hands clasped in prayer. The Maid of Orléans' contemplative nature is thus accentuated. Her slender figure conveys the power of Joan of Arc's faith and the elevation of her soul toward Heaven. This kneeling Joan of Arc in Sèvres biscuit porcelain is a very rare version of Emmanuel Fremiet's work, both in terms of its material and its execution.

Emmanuel Fremiet: While his name was well known among his peers until 1874, it was the unveiling of his monumental equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in the Place des Pyramides in Paris that brought him to the attention of the general public. The brilliant animal sculptor that he was, considered the equal of the great master Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), who had so profoundly influenced the genre, entered the inner circle of monumental sculptors with great fanfare. The Second Empire, but especially the Third Republic, commissioned numerous works from him. A master sculptor, to borrow the expression of his biographer Jacques de Biez, Emmanuel Frémiet sculpted with equal skill and humor, whatever the subject. His deft hands brought forth a whole world of graceful, elegant statuettes, each telling a piece of French history with great picturesqueness, but above all with remarkable realism and attention to historical detail. Moreover, Emmanuel Frémiet did not work in a vacuum. Before picking up his chisel, he gathered his sources and frequented libraries assiduously. Nothing is left to chance…


To learn more: https://www.lestresorsdegamaliel.com/sculptures/541-jeanne-d-arc-a-genoux-emmanuel-fremiet.html

COPYRIGHT