Archway, Pont Nôtre-Dame, Paris
1853
Medium
Etching; fourth state of four
Dimensions
Plate: 6 x 7 11/16 in. (15.3 x 19.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1966
Accession Number
67.630.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling heart of mid-19th-century Paris Charles Meryon's *Archway, Pont Nôtre-Dame, Paris* (1853), a masterful etching that captures the intricate stone archway of this historic bridge spanning the Seine. Meryon, a pioneering French etcher (1821–1868), was renowned for his topographical views of Paris, blending meticulous detail with atmospheric drama. This fourth and final state of four reveals the artist's refined technique, where subtle reworking enhances textures—from the weathered masonry to the boats dotting the river below—evoking the city's vibrant, pre-Haussmann era. P...
About the Artist
Charles Meryon · 1821–1868
Charles Meryon, born on November 23, 1821, in Paris, was the illegitimate son of English physician Dr. Charles Lewis Meryon and dancer Pierre-Narcisse Chaspoux (stage name Narcisse Gentil) at the Paris Opéra. His half-sister Fanny, from his mother's prior relationship with Viscount Lowther, remained in contact after their mother's death in 1838. Raised partly outside Paris before attending Pension...