Sevres, Bisque 'Joan of Arc' Model After Princess Marie d'Orleans Circa 1847

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Manufacture Nationale De Sevres (French, founded 1740), after Princess Marie-Christine d' Orleans (French, 1813-1839).

"Princess Marie d’Orléans was the youngest … Read more Manufacture Nationale De Sevres (French, founded 1740), after Princess Marie-Christine d' Orleans (French, 1813-1839).

"Princess Marie d’Orléans was the youngest daughter of the French king Louis-Philippe and a student of Ary Scheffer and David d’Angers. During his reign, Louis-Philippe commissioned art to further his political objectives — the most ambitious example was his transformation of the Château de Versailles into a national museum commemorating the “glories of France.” Paintings and sculptures were carefully selected to create a unified vision of the country’s most significant leaders at a time when different political factions were constantly vying for power. In 1835, the king commissioned from his daughter a large marble of the medieval heroine and saint Joan of Arc (Château de Versailles) after Jean-Jacques Pradier failed to complete a suitable design. Louis-Philippe’s visit to the statue is commemorated in a painting by Auguste Vinchon, which also hangs in the Château de Versailles.

Marie d’Orléans stressed Joan’s martial character by showing her in full armor, with helmet and gauntlets at her side. She bends her head as she prays for divine guidance and clutches her sword over her heart as if it were a crucifix, graphically conveying her piety. The sculpture was an immediate success and earned high praise at the Salon of 1837. After the Princess’s early death from pulmonary disease, the mayor of Orléans requested a bronze replica for the local city hall, and Louis-Philippe authorized another reduction for Domrémy, Joan of Arc’s hometown." - Dahesh Museum of Art

This model is rather unusual and we have been unable to find another example made by the Sevres factory in Bisque. See less