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Thursday, 5th November 2009 (285 views)

A gold sculpture of Joan of Arc that used to stand opposite the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania will return to its spot next year after it has been repaired.

Made by Emmanuel Fremiet, the piece will be recovered in gold leaf before being returned to public view in the spring, according to Adam Jenkins of Milner + Carr Conservation, which is undertaking the work.

The sculpture shows Joan of Arc sitting on her warhorse and is about 15 feet tall, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It weighs between two and three tonnes and requires several months for the new gold leaf coating to harden. About 4,500 23.5-c gold sheets will be used for the work.

"The typical problem with metals outdoors is that they oxidise and the oxidation weathers away. Gold doesn't oxidise. The fact that it's so thin and is on a stable substrate makes it very strong," Mr Jenkins explained.

Fremiet was a French sculptor who died in 1910. One of his art students in Paris was Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who designed numerous war-related monuments and went on to create the US Double Eagle gold coin in the early 20th century.

 

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