1819, Joan of Arc makes history!
Together with the Friends of the Museums, the Museums of Orléans are launching their fourth participatory sponsorship campaign to acquire an emblematic work of art with a Johannine theme. Help the Orléans museums acquire this painting during the Fêtes de Jeanne d'Arc, celebrating Joan of Arc's liberation of the city in 1429 from April 29 to May 11!
In 1819, archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Jollois and draughtsman Charles Pensée were asked to advise on the restoration of Joan of Arc's birthplace in Domrémy. After refusing to sell it to a Prussian to be dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt in Germany, the owner sold it to the Vosges Department. Alerted, King Louis XVIII sent this delegation to assess the interest of the house and consider making it a national site. From the moment they entered the walls, they were filled with a sense of history. Joan of Arc had just made history! The house was restored, before Jollois was appointed chief engineer in the Loiret department in 1822, where Charles Pensée followed him and became the great painter and draughtsman of medieval and picturesque Orléans. Settled in the city of Joan of Arc, Jollois continued his research and published several pioneering books on Joan of Arc: Histoire abrégée de la vie et des exploits de Jeanne d'Arc, surnommée la Pucelle d'Orléans, Notice sur les monuments élevés en France à la mémoire de Jeanne d'Arc... Thanks to them, Orleans became the center of work on Joan of Arc. The troubadour painter Jean-Antoine Laurent, a native of Domrémy, accompanied the two archaeologists and immortalized this historic moment, when, overcome with emotion, they felt the historical weight of a place still unknown to the public.
The painting was sold for 30,000 euros by a French gallery. It has been restored and framed, so can be hung immediately. If the campaign raises a larger sum, it can be allocated to the restoration of works by Charles Pensée and to the subsequent exhibition on Jollois, Pensée and Joan of Arc. The painting will be presented at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans, but may also be exhibited from time to time at the Hôtel Cabu - Musée d'Histoire et d'Archéologie. It will also be on display at the Hôtel Cabu in 2026, in conjunction with the Centre Jeanne d'Arc, in an exhibition on Jollois, Pensée and Joan of Arc. The Friends of the Orléans Museums are working alongside the Orléans Museums to lead this acquisition and to bring together the many patrons who will make this painting one of the emblematic works in the Orléans collections. The Musées d'Orléans hold the reference collection on the Pucelle d'Orléans, with paintings and sculptures from the 16th century to the present day, popular art objects and the leading international research center.
Tax information for individuals and companies
Individuals: you can benefit from a tax reduction equal to 66% of the amount of your donation, up to a limit of 20% of your taxable income. If you are liable for the Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière (property wealth tax), you can benefit from a reduction in your IFI equal to 75% of the amount of your donation, up to a limit of €50,000.
Companies: all payments qualify for a corporate tax reduction of 60% of the amount of such payments, capped at €20,000 or 5 ‰ (5 per thousand) of the company's annual sales excluding tax. If the ceiling is exceeded, the excess can be carried forward to the following 5 financial years.