The Seine near the Austerlitz Bridge
1888
Medium
wood engraving in black on tissue paper
Dimensions
image: 16.9 x 26.7 cm (6 5/8 x 10 1/2 in.) sheet: 28.2 x 34.5 cm (11 1/8 x 13 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
René Huyghe Collection
Accession Number
1994.42.16
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of, where Auguste Lepère's *The Seine near the Austitz Bridge* (1888) captures the timeless allure of Paris. This wood engraving depicts the gentle curve of the Seine River beneath the historic Austerlitz Bridge, alassical span named after Napoleon's 5 victory and a vital link in the city's bustling transport network. Created during the Belle Époque, when Paris transforming into a modern metropolis, Lepère's evokes the serene yet vibrant daily life along the riverbanks, blending urban energy with natural flow. Lepère, a leading French wood engraver of the late ...
About the Artist
Auguste Lepère · 1849–1918
Auguste-Louis Lepère (1849–1918), son of the sculptor François Lepère, was born in Paris on November 30, 1849, into an artistic family that shaped his early path. At age thirteen, he apprenticed in the Paris studio of the English wood engraver Joseph Burn Smeeton, honing his skills in wood engraving until 1867. He furthered his training with drawing classes under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the...