Jean-François-Théodore Gechter French, 1796-1844

Gechter studied with Bosio and Gros, but never won the Prix de Rome and consequently was awarded few public commissions. His regular Salon exhibits were predominantly Romantic in subject matter reflecting his sympathy with the style troubadour. His spirited model of Jeanne d'Arc is a mature work, exhibited at the Salon in 1838, the year after he was decorated with the Légion d'honneur for his monumental relief of the Battle of Austerlitz for the Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile.

In addition to its evident Romantic historicism, Jeanne d'Arc illustrates Gechter's respect for Barye's combat models. Gechter seems to have been instrumental in securing Barye's involvement in the seminal surtout de table for the duc d'Orléans. It is also instructive to note that Barye's powerful Deux Cavaliers Arabes tuant un Lion (see lot 151) dates to 1838 and despite Barye's wounding rejection by the Salon jury both sculptors were working on comparable compositions at this time.