La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)

1854

Charles Meryon

Associated Names
Charles Meryon

Artist, French, 1821 - 1868

The image shows a detailed urban scene viewed from a slight elevation. In the foreground, small boats are parked along a waterway, with people inside. Beyond that, there is a quay with people engaged in various activities. A stone wall leads up to a roofed structure with small windows adjacent to a large stone building. Further back, there are tall, multi-story buildings with narrow chimneys releasing smoke. The skyline is filled with these buildings, creating a densely built area. The image uses fine lines and cross-hatching for texture, shadow, and depth. It is monochrome, typical of an etching, emphasizing details through contrast.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 21.4 × 19.1 cm (8 7/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
    plate: 23.2 × 20.7 cm (9 1/8 × 8 1/8 in.)
    sheet: 25.4 × 24.3 cm (10 × 9 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.5.76

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schneiderman 1990, no. 42, State i/vii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Jules Niel [19th century], Paris; Alphonse Wyatt Thibaudeau [1840-1893], London, (Lugt 2412); Bernard Buchanan MacGeorge [1845-1924], Glasgow, (Lugt 394); Albert W. Scholle [1860-1917], New York City, (Lugt 2923a); Joseph H. Seaman [1865-1948]; (sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc., New York, 1 December 1948, lot 138); Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Master Prints from the Rosenwald Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 1965, no. 103.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 20, repro.

Bibliography

1924

  • Delteil, Loys and Harold J.L. Wright. Catalogue raisonne of the Etchings of Charles Meryon. New York: Winfred Porter Truesdell, 1924.

1990

  • Schneiderman, Richard S. The Catalogue Raisonne of the Prints by Charles Meryon. London: Garton & Co., 1990.

1997

  • Roskill, Mark. The Languages of Landscape. University Park, PA, 1997: 88, fig. 39.

Inscriptions

Not signed. Not dated. "55" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "1er état / 2e [illeg.] lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "D-W 36 1 of 7" lower center margin, graphite, unknown hand. "[illeg.], et / [illeg.]" lower right margin, graphite, unknown hand. Verso: none.

Wikidata ID

Q65071269

You may be interested in

Loading Results