17 May 2006

Longwood’s “Joanie on the Pony” undergoes conservation effort, regains sword

"Joanie on the Pony" sculpture returns to her home

Longwood University’s sculpture of Joan of Arc on horseback is back in its longtime home and is looking better than ever. Joan even has her sword back.

The bronze equestrian figure atop a marble pedestal and base, known popularly as “Joanie on the Pony,” was returned April 27 to the Colonnade after undergoing a conservation treatment project coordinated by the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts. The work was done by Sharon Koehler, an objects conservator in private practice who has a studio/lab in Hampden-Sydney. The project was overseen by the LCVA’s collections manager, Janet Lundy, and Director Johnson Bowles.

The sculpture is a reduced version of the bronze 1915 monument Joan of Arc by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973), one of the foremost American sculptors of the early 20th century, known primarily for her equestrian statues. Longwood’s copy, based on a casting of that monument in New York City, was given by Huntington to the college in 1927.

The conservation project, which Koehler began in mid-March, involved a thorough cleaning and re-waxing of both the bronze and marble surfaces. Most of the cleaning was done with poultices and steam.

Sharon Koehler, the objects conservator, and John Saul, a master jeweler from Atkins Jewelry of Farmville, work on Joan of Arc's sword

“The most interesting challenge was the reconstruction of Joanie’s sword, which had been missing from her hand for at least two decades,” said Koehler, a professional associate for the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. “The dimensions of the scabbard on her left hip were measured, and several detailed sketches were made to determine the most accurate design for the new sword. It was fortunate that we had original visual information to use as a starting point.”

A rough outline of the sword was fabricated out of brass by John Gunther, the foreman at C & L Welding of Farmville. John Saul, a master jeweler at Atkins Jewelry in Farmville, helped to fine-tune the precise outline and the bevel, and he also soldered it in place. Koehler produced a patina for the sword to approximate the rich brown patina of the sculpture.

Another challenge for Koehler was reconstructing the many losses along the contours of the marble. There were at least 25 areas of substantial loss, and five or six pieces of marble had broken off over the years and had been saved. These original marble fragments were re-adhered with Acryloid B-72, a conservation-grade adhesive that is stable in an outdoor environment. In the future Koehler will reconstruct other areas of loss, such as parts of the horse’s bridle and Joan’s spurs.

“I am still working on the lower section of marble, which will be reinstalled once the restorative work is complete,” she said. “Together, the two pieces of marble weigh approximately 2,500 pounds; indeed, they are a challenge to move around. The sections of the sculpture were brought to and from campus with the use of a large truck and an industrial forklift, by employees from Longwood’s Facilities Management.”

Koehler also was assisted on the project by Teresa Johnson, a graduating Longwood senior who was the Bishop-Wells Intern at the LCVA.

The last photograph in the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts records documents that Joan’s sword was still intact in the 1980s. “From our records it was broken off, most likely stolen,” said Johnson Bowles. “The sword Joan now holds was based on photographs of the original sword as well as detailed images sent to the LCVA by curators at Brookgreen Gardens (Huntington’s winter home near Murrells Inlet, S.C., now a public sculpture garden), who also have a casting like Longwood’s.”

Sharon Koehler, the objects conservator who worked on the sculpture, re-installs it in the Colonnade

The sculpture had been removed from the Colonnade about two years ago. “The work on the statue was undertaken because so many people lamented that it was in need of restoration,” Bowles said.

Joanie on the Pony survived the Great Fire of 2001. “The fire stopped just short of it,” Bowles said. “We left it on-site for a while to make sure people knew it had not been lost. It suffered no damage.”

The 15th-century French heroine Joan of Arc was a popular figure at women’s colleges in the early 20th century. She was the patron saint of the Joan Circle of Alpha Delta Rho, the honorary leadership society at Longwood that was founded in 1926, later became known as Geist and now is Mortar Board.

Huntington gained an international following for her Joan of Arc statue, which she was commissioned to do for the 500th anniversary of Joan’s birth. A Longwood student who had seen the first of five castings of the monument, at Riverside Drive and 93rd Street in New York City, mentioned it to members of the Joan Circle. In correspondence that began in late 1926, the group’s secretary, the late Lucy Overbey (’27), wrote to Huntington, telling her they had selected the work since it would “embody the ideals of leadership” to which they were dedicated and hoped within three years to raise the funds to buy a “bronze statuette” of the monument.

The sculptor decided to donate a reduced bronze version of the work, which is at Riverside Drive and 93rd Street in New York. Longwood’s version was cast by the Gorham Company of New York City and was unveiled in a ceremony April 9, 1927.

“The monument is considered one of the finest equestrian monuments in the United States,” said Robin Salmon, vice president and curator of collections at Brookgreen Gardens. “It’s the first equestrian monument of a woman by a woman, and the first to show Joan wearing the proper clothes and having the proper equipment.”

Koehler also did the conservation work on Longwood’s other Joan of Arc sculpture, a plaster cast of Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu’s Joan of Arc in Domrémy. That piece, affectionately known as “Joanie on the Stony,” was restored in time to be back in its longtime location in the Rotunda when Ruffner Hall was rededicated in April 2005. The sculpture, purchased by the Class of 1914 as a gift to Longwood, had been away from Ruffner for four years, during which it was in Dorrill Dining Hall.

“Both of Longwood’s Joan of Arc sculptures presented unique challenges for an objects conservator, “ noted Koehler. “I have had amazing feedback from people regarding these well-loved sculptures. I hope the university will continue to enjoy their two Joanies and endeavor to maintain them for years to come.”

Both restoration projects are part of an ongoing stewardship of works in the university’s art collection, and there is a Joan of Arc Conservation Fund so that funds for long-term proper care will always be available for the two sculptures.