Georges Jules Victor CLAIRIN, Portrait présumé de Sarah Bernhardt dans le rôle de Jeanne d'Arc

Georges Jules Victor CLAIRIN
(Paris 1843 – 1919 Belle-Île-en-Mer)
Presumed portrait of Sarah Bernhardt as Joan of Arc
circa 1890
oil on canvas
91 x 50 cm; 114 x 74 cm
signed 'G. Clairin' lower left

on the back: bears two labels glued together and painted

Georges Clairin and Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923): these two names, often presented side by side, are familiar to popular culture. The immensely talented tragedienne and the artist maintained an enduring close relationship throughout their lives. She quickly became the main subject of his works, depicting her sometimes in the countless roles she played, sometimes in more intimate poses. In 1888, Sarah Bernhardt played Joan of Arc in Jules Barbier's play, a role she took on a second time in 1909, in Émile Moreau's 'The Trial of Joan of Arc'.
Several drawings by Georges Clairin depicting her as such have survived. The artist seems to have chosen a personal interpretation of the actress's costume, as can be seen on the drawing held at the Musée d'Orsay (RF MO AG 2014 3 11). He made several studies of her, sometimes in armor, sometimes in a costume very similar to ours. In this drawing, as in our painting, Sarah Bernhardt is depicted standing, wearing a heavy dress, likely velvet. Her left hand is placed on her hip, while with the other, she proudly holds a banner fluttering in the wind, adorned with fleurs-de-lis. In our painting, the pose is simply reversed. Holding a banner in her left hand, the actress is depicted here as a determined warrior, ready to lead her troops and save her country. Everything suggests that the work was presented at the French Exhibition in Moscow in 1891, as indicated by the information still visible on the back of the frame, on the carrier's label.