Joan of Arc, They are Calling You

Joan of Arc, Joan of Arc,

Do your eyes, from the skies, see the foe?

Don't you see the drooping Fleurdelis?

Can't you hear the tears of Normandy?

Joan of Arc, Joan of Arc,

Let your spirit guide us through;

Come lead your France to victory;

Joan of Arc, they are calling you. 

"Joan of Arc, They are Calling You" (1917),  

Jack Wells, Al Bryan, and Willie Weston

This superb sculpture captures Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc in French), French heroine and Catholic saint, as she rallies French troops during the final phase of the Anglo-French Hundred Years' War. Born in 1412 to a peasant family, she claimed to have received visions of the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria instructing her to fight in support of King Charles VII and free France from English domination. At the age of 17, Joan met with Charles, then the dauphin. Charles granted Joan's request to be placed at the head of his army. After a series of victories, Charles VII was consecrated as king. However, Joan was captured in 1430 by a faction of French nobles allied with the English and handed over to the English for trial. She was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake in 1431. Joan was later declared innocent by a tribunal authorized by Pope Callixtus III and canonized in 1920. 

The finely detailed sculpture beautifully portrays the young Maid of Orleans armored and ready for battle atop a spirited steed.

The sculpture is after a work by French sculptor August Moreau (1855-1915), renown for his romantic, allegorical, or historic images. He was a member of a celebrated family of French artists, beginning with his father, Jean-Baptiste Moreau. August exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and his creations were popular with the public, often reproduced in various sizes and materials.

Of bronze-clad spelter, the statue is stamped the back of the base "Fabrication Francaise * Made in France * Paris." This foundry operated from the 1890s to just before WWI. 

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230-8246

Paris. . . When it Drizzles

Every time I look down on this timeless town,

Whether blue or gray be her skies,

Whether loud be her cheers, 

Or whether soft be her tears,

More and more do I realize that...

I love Paris in the spring time,

I love Paris in the fall,

I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles,

I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles,

I love Paris every moment

Every moment of the year

I love Paris, why oh why do I love Paris

Because my love is near.

Cole Porter, 1953

This brilliantly colored impressionist scene of rain-slicked city streets may remind you of a winter day in Paris (the building in the misty background certainly resembles the Paris Opera House), but it comes from the brush of an Italian painter, Antonio DeVity (1901-1993). 

 Born Umberto Marone in southern Italy, DeVity studied art in Naples and Rome. His grandmother's family was from Paris and DeVity traveled to the French capital to study painting, falling in love with the city. It was there that he began using the name "Antonio de Vity." He painted many Parisian scenes, often incorporating important landmarks in the background. Returning to Naples, DeVity founded an art studio, which became an important school for Neapolitan painters. In the late 1960s, his son took over direction of the studio and also painted under the name of Antonio DeVity. His paintings have been exhibited throughout the world and are widely collected.  The use of bold bright colors, reflective streets, and soft lighting are typical of DeVity's works.