Entry of Joan of Arc into liberated Orléans on 8th May 1429

Hendrik Scheffer's Entry of Joan of Arc into liberated Orléans on 8th May 1429 (1843) participates in one of the great cultural revivals of nineteenth-century France: the romanticization of Joan of Arc as a national heroine. Painted for the Galerie des Batailles at Versailles, it commemorates the moment when the Maid of Orléans rode through the city gates after lifting the English siege — a moment totemic for French national identity, especially during the uncertainties of the July Monarchy. The genre classification as Religious reflects Joan's status as a figure in whom patriotic and spiritual meaning were inseparable.

Scheffer marshals a processional composition with Joan as the luminous focal point, surrounded by jubilant citizens and soldiers. The colour scheme uses warm golden tones for Joan's armour and the welcoming crowds, with architectural details providing spatial depth. The handling balances Romantic emotionalism with the legibility required of official history painting.