A look back at the hanging of William Etty's painting

Hanging large-format works is always a special moment in the life of a museum. Behind these spectacular operations lies real know-how: that of the technical team at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, specially trained to handle and install these monumental works in complete safety. This year, a new hanging was created on one of the emblematic walls of the "salle rouge" (lower mezzanine). This was an opportunity to welcome a major painting recently added to the collections: Joan of Arc Finds the Sword in the Chapel of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois by William Etty. This acquisition was made possible thanks to the support of the Fonds du patrimoine and the Association des Amis du musée. This masterpiece joins, on the same wall, the central painting of the triptych, Jeanne d'Arc fait une sortie depuis les portes d'Orléans et disperse des ennemis de la France, acquired in 1982. Together, these canvases give a clearer idea of the British painter's ambitions, and offer visitors an enriched perspective on this cycle devoted to the Orléans heroine.