Jeanne Darc / Sarah Bernhardt 1894

Behind this haunting Art Nouveau image lies a fascinating collaboration between artist and actress. Eugene Grasset's Joan of Arc poster was created for Sarah Bernhardt's 1894 role, but this version reflects Bernhardt's own artistic vision. Dissatisfied with the original, the great actress requested changes to better convey the saint's spiritual essence: straight hair and a more ethereal expression, befitting a woman at once brave and frail, guided by divine will.

The revised design is all the more striking for that intervention. Grasset transforms his medievalising aesthetic into something more transcendent, presenting Joan not as a historical document but as a legendary, otherworldly figure lit from within by faith. It is a rare instance of a star shaping her own image on the page as surely as on the stage, and the union of Grasset's decorative genius with Bernhardt's dramatic instinct produces a portrait of unusual depth and stillness. Few posters of the period carry such a charge of quiet conviction, and knowing the story of its revision only deepens the spell it casts.

Eugene Grasset (1845-1917) was a Swiss-French pioneer of Art Nouveau whose decorative posters, typefaces and stained glass helped launch the entire movement. His fascination with medieval art and richly patterned surfaces gave his work a solemn, almost devotional quality that set it apart from the lighter fare of his contemporaries.

Art Nouveau swept across Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, casting aside rigid academic convention in favour of sinuous whiplash lines, botanical ornament and idealised figures. It was the movement that first turned the humble advertising poster into a genuine art form and made the city street an open-air gallery.

Displayed at scale, a vintage lithographic poster becomes a genuine focal point. Its rich palette and reverent composition hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring depth, character and a sense of history to a living room, hallway, dining room, study, library or studio.

Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp, faithful detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Each print is carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube, or flat for the smallest size; a frame is not included.

This is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original stone lithograph, colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving clean, crisp and ready to frame.

A meaningful gift for lovers of Art Nouveau, theatre history and the legend of Joan of Arc, and a lasting way to bring a piece of Belle Epoque design into a home, study or workplace. Subtle age-toning from the high-resolution original scan is part of its authentic historic character.