INGRES, Jean-Auguste-Dominique
(b. 1780, Montauban, d. 1867, Paris)

Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral

1854
Oil on canvas, 240 x 178 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

Charles VII (1403-1461) was a monarch of the House of Valois who ruled as King of France from 1422 to his death. In 1422, Charles VII inherited the throne of France under desperate circumstances. Forces of the Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Burgundy occupied Guyenne and northern France, including Paris, the most populous city, and Reims, the city in which the French kings were traditionally crowned. His political and military position improved dramatically with the emergence of Joan of Arc as a spiritual leader in France. Joan and other charismatic military leaders led French troops to several important victories that paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII in 1429 at Reims Cathedral.