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Juana de Arco, un icono del fin de siglo

Translation: Jon Alkorta Martiartu, PhD (EHU/UPV)

Joan of Arc, a fin de siècle icon

If there is a figure that stands out in the history of France, both for the supernatural character of her visions and for the injustice of her death, this is undoubtedly Joan of Arc. Today we approach the recovery of the image of this saint in 19th century France.

From heroine to martyr

Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orleans, was born in Domrémy in 1412 and died in Rouen in 1431. The story goes that she had visions of the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret and Catherine of Alexandria, who guided her to help Charles VII and free France from English domination in the Hundred Years’ War.

But her triumph turned into tragedy. In 1430 she was captured by a group of French nobles allied with the English. She was later handed over to them and prosecuted by Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Tragedy was looming. She was found guilty and Duke John of Bedford burned her at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431, when she was only 19 years old.

The terrible ending

Jules Michelet, the great French historian of the 19th century, narrates the trial of Joan of Arc by the Inquisition in 1431. The first accusation was of magic, but the one that gained the most agreement was that of heresy. Joan was interrogated but not tortured. The English pressured the French so that Joan was condemned to death. And thus, a trial flawed in principle, led Joan of Arc to the stake. As the flames ascended her body and led her to the other world, witnesses heard her invoke her saints, her archangel, repeat in the fire the name of the Savior… and, finally, dropping her head, exhale a deep cry: Jesus! (Jules Michelet).

You can read the story of Joan of Arc as told by Michelet here.

The image of Joan of Arc in fin-de-siècle France

Throughout the 19th century, images of Joan of Arc proliferated, especially in France, which claimed her as an iconic figure of the French homeland. Joan will be represented in different passages of her life: enlightened, in battle, victorious, on trial and dead at the stake. Thus, we have numerous canvases and statues of the Maid of France throughout the century, by Ingres, Henri Revoil, Paul Delaroche or Adolphe-Alexandre Dillens and sculptures by Emmanuel Frémiet, Paul Dubois or Henri Chapu. The interpretation of the theme by Paul Gauguin in 1889 is also noteworthy. Outside of France, the theme was also visited by the Pre-Raphaelites, with the likes of Millais, Rossetti, Annie Louisa Swynnerton, William Blake Richmond and Frank Dicksee.

Frank DuMond. Cover for Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. 1896.

In Joan of Arc there is also the paradigm of the martyred saint: the triumph over death. Moreover, like the bearded saints, Joan is a virgo fortis, a warrior woman, with both feminine and masculine attributes. The fin-de-siècle iconography will portray the Lady of Orleans in armor, as a warrior, and with long red hair, as a maiden. It is a sort of successful combination of the fin-de-siècle androgyny. A foreign author will also sing Joan of Arc. This was Mark Twain in his work Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte, published serialized in Harper’s Magazine in 1895 and later in book form in 1896. The text purports to be a translation of an ancient manuscript in which Louis de Contes narrates in first person the three key milestones of Joan’s life: her youth in Domrémy, her fight under Charles VII and her inquisitorial trial in Rouen. In the illustrated version of 1896 the frontispiece by Frank DuMond titled Jeanne D’Arc Martyr, loaded with symbolism, is particularly noteworthy. Jeanne, dressed in a white tunic, is tied to a post above the inquisitorial pyre. Her beautiful face is gazing blankly at the long cross before her. In the background appears the Cathedral of Rouen and below a prelate who seems to announce the death sentence to those present. This image is flanked by two large swords, symbol of Joan’s fight for France, and in the upper corners two Gothic stone crosses that seem to continue the grisaille sculptures of a saint and the Virgin on either side. Above, in Gothic letters appears the inscription “JEAN D’ARC MARTYR”.

Octave Denis Victor Guillonnet. Cover for the book Jeanne d’Arc by Frantz Funck-Brentano. 1912.

To culminate the theme of Joan of Arc we have another bibliophilic reference. We are talking about a book written by Frantz Funck-Brentano in 1912, whose Parisian edition illustrated by Octave Denis Victor Guillonnet shows a tremendously striking cover: Joan of Arc crucified. The maiden is dressed in armor, with short hair but with feminine forms, opening her arms, in a crucified pose. Subtly, on the yellow background, a cross shape traced with fleur-de-lis can be distinguished. It is an allegorical way of expressing the sublime martyrdom of Joan of Arc, which more than with her sanctity, links her directly to the image of Christ himself.

A recommendation

Still from The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Without a doubt, the best film ever made about Joan of Arc is Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 The Passion of Joan of Arc. The film focuses on the trial of the saint and stars Maria Falconetti, who plays an exceptional role. You can watch it on Filmin.

Dr. Pedro Ortega

Ingeniero Industrial, Historiador del Arte, Máster en Edición Digital y Doctor en Estética. Es Gestor Cultural de Patrimonio Mundial del Ayuntamiento de Madrid. Edita la revista académica Herejía y Belleza y dirige el sello académico Ediciones Aulós. Es autor en Penguin Random House y ha escrito artículos para El Imparcial, Jot Down e Historia National Geographic, entre otros medios. Pedro Ortega PhD Industrial Engineer, Art Historian, with a M.A. in Digital Publishing and a PhD in Aesthetics. He is the cultural manager at the World Heritage Service of the Madrid City Council. He is a published author at Penguin Random House and has written articles for El Imparcial, Jot Down and Historia National Geographic, among others. Pedro Ortega doktorea Industria Ingeniaria, Artearen Historialaria, Edizio Digitaleko Master-duna eta Estetikan Doktorea. Kultur kudeatzailea da Madrilgo Udaleko Munduko Ondare Zerbitzuan. Penguin Random House-ko idazlea da eta artikuluak idatzi ditu El Imparcial, Jot Down eta Historia National Geographic-entzat, besteak beste.

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OpenEdition le sugiere que cite este post de la siguiente manera:
Dr. Pedro Ortega (3 de mayo de 2024). Juana de Arco, un icono del fin de siglo. El blog de Tartalo. Recuperado 19 de marzo de 2025 de https://doi.org/10.58079/10swd


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