Jeanne d’Arc – Eugène Grasset, Sarah Bernhardt, Les Affiches Illustrées, 1896 Original Lithograph on linen
Original 1896 lithograph by Eugène Grasset, published in Paris by Imprimerie Chaix as part of the celebrated series Les Affiches Illustrées. This edition features Grasset’s striking design of Jeanne d’Arc, created for Sarah Bernhardt’s legendary stage portrayal. The image presents the saintly figure with halo, armor, and banner, rendered in Grasset’s signature medieval-inspired decorative style that helped define the French Art Nouveau movement.
Les Affiches Illustrées was issued in limited numbers (1,050 copies), each plate showcasing a poster design by leading artists of the 1890s. Grasset’s Jeanne d’Arc remains one of the highlights of the series for its bold imagery and direct connection to Bernhardt’s celebrated role.
This example is preserved in Excellent “A” condition, professionally mounted on linen.
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Details
Title: Jeanne d’Arc (Sarah Bernhardt) – Les Affiches Illustrées
Artist: Eugène Grasset
Date: 1896
Printer: Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
Size: approx. 12 x 16 in / 31 x 41 cm
Print Type: Color lithograph
Linen: On linen
Condition: Excellent “A”
Eugène Grasset (1845–1917)
Jeanne d’Arc – Sarah Bernhardt, 1899
A richly colored stone lithograph by Eugène Grasset, issued as Plate 174 in Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, the celebrated monthly series published by Jules Chéret at the Imprimerie Chaix in Paris between 1895 and 1900. Subscribers received four plates each month over five years, reproducing the most accomplished poster designs of the Belle Époque in reduced format. The complete series comprised 256 numbered plates created by the foremost artists of the day.
This plate portrays the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt in her celebrated role as Jeanne d’Arc. Grasset, a major figure of the Art Nouveau movement, combines stylized design with spiritual dignity, expressing both Bernhardt’s theatrical power and the idealized purity of the saint.
Details
Original stone lithograph on wove paper
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris
From Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, Plate 174 (1899)
Sheet size: approximately 40 × 29 cm / 15.75 × 11.4 in.
Condition: Excellent; vivid impression on full sheet
Comments
An outstanding example from Les Maîtres de l’Affiche, uniting Grasset’s refined Art Nouveau style with the timeless image of Sarah Bernhardt as France’s national heroine.
