Artwork
The Crowning at Rheims of the Dauphin (Joan of Arc series: V)
The Crowning at Rheims of the Dauphin (Joan of Arc series: V) is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel. It dates from 1907 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: M.Boutet de Monvel_1907
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil with applied gold leaf on a canvas support, combining traditional painting mediums with metallic ornamentation.
The work is executed in oil with applied gold leaf on a canvas support, combining traditional painting mediums with metallic ornamentation.
Handling emphasizes strong, linear contours and flat areas of color, consistent with Art Nouveau stylization and narrative clarity. Figures are arranged in a shallow, stage-like space, with the central crowning scene framed by architectural and heraldic motifs.
The composition favors symmetry and clarity, aligning with the series’ didactic purpose while integrating decorative gold accents to heighten the ceremonial atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel created the oil and gold leaf painting The Crowning at Rheims of the Dauphin in 1907 as the fifth installment of his Joan of Arc series. The work was originally commissioned by the New York collector William A. Clark (1839–1925). Upon Clark's death, the painting was bequeathed to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in April 1926.
It remained in the Corcoran's collection until 2015, when it was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, where it is currently held.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington in April 1926 as part of the bequest of William A. Clark (1839–1925) of New York, who had originally commissioned the work. The Corcoran later transferred it to the National Gallery of Art in 2015.
No exhibition history beyond this institutional succession is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Louis Maurice Boutet de Monvel completed The Crowning at Rheims of the Dauphin (Joan of Arc series: V) in 1907. This painting, rendered in oil and gold leaf on canvas, is part of a larger sequence of works dedicated to the life of Joan of Arc. It captures a pivotal moment in her story, depicting the coronation of the Dauphin, a scene elevated by the artist's distinctive use of materials and dramatic composition.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork depicts the coronation of the Dauphin at Rheims, a key event in Joan of Arc's narrative. Joan is portrayed kneeling in armor, holding a flag, as a bishop places the crown upon the Dauphin, who is dressed in blue robes trimmed with fur. The deliberate application of gold leaf around the central figures serves more than a decorative purpose; it imbues the scene with a sense of timelessness and spiritual significance, lifting it beyond a simple historical depiction.
Artist & collection
CERBUL DE AUR
Parading Knights in Oriental Costume
The First Chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece
西国諸将鎮静天杯賜ル之図|Illustration of the Commanders who Pacified Western Japan, Receiving the Emperor's Gift Cups (Saigoku chinsei shoshō tenpai o tamawaru no zu)
Untitled
Vows of Jan Kazimierz
Masquerade
Taiseikan Shosho Shiten|Commanders Receiving the Emperor's Drinking Cups