The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 6, Issue 1, Winter 2017 | Page 33

1909. 12
World War I devastated Europe between 1914 and 1918. Taylor claims
that the relationship between the Vatican and France worsened during that war and
that tensions between both parties ran unabated. Yet in 1920, two years after the
“War to end all Wars,” Pope Benedict XV canonized Joan of Arc, the symbol of
France’s glory. While Joan’s route to sainthood took an arduous journey, and her
ultimate elevation to Saint Joan of Arc contained an element of political mediation
between France and the Vatican, ultimately, the Church recognized Joan as a
member of the heavenly Church Triumphant—a fitting tribute to the Maid of
France, the young girl whose military exploits saved France. 13
Joan of Arc in Art
During a recent lecture at
professor of medieval French
literature, Nadia Margolis, stated
that Joan of Arc “has been depicted
in more images than anybody else
except Jesus Christ.” 14 The earliest
artistic representation of Joan of
Arc is a sketch by Clément de
Fauquembergue, dated from 1429
and made during her lifetime,
though it is unlikely that the artist
saw Joan in person. 15 Kristi L.
Castleberry, who created the
brochure for the 2009 Rossell Hope
Robbins Library exhibit on Joan of
Arc, noted that Joan presented
artists with “a unique challenge.
There was no precedent for
representing a woman who dressed
as a man but called herself the
Maid, no visual model for a peasant
girl who rode next to the king to his
coronation.” 16 She further noted,
“Medieval and Early Modern artists
used a variety of visual cues to
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the Farnsworth Art Museum, distinguished
Figure 1. Joan of Arc, sketch by Clément
de Fauquembergue, 1429.