Paul Manship (Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1885 - 1966, New York)
Medal of Jeanne d'Arc, 1915
Bronze, 7 cm (2 3/4 in.) diameter
This bronze medal of Jeanne d'Arc depicts her in profile, seated on a warhorse. She is dressed in armor and holds a pole with a banner decorated with flowers which flows behind her. Her muscular horse is depicted in mid-stride with its mane braided and its long tail flowing behind. An angel bearing a sword flies above her. The medal is signed and dated across a line near the bottom of the medal. It is also inscribed with her name, with “JEANNE” written across the edge to our left, then a line of dots all the way to the right edge of the coin where “D’ARC” is written. The reverse shows Jeanne bound to a stake, dressed in a long robe, and kneeling in prayer position facing our left surrounded by rising flames. There is a hand descending from a cloud in the top left of the piece to place a laurel wreath on her head. There is an inscription along the outer edge. A line of dots separates the inscription from the image in the middle, forming a circle which is broken by the wood for the fire at the bottom and by the hand in the top left.
Long Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.