L'abside de Notre-Dame de Paris (The Apse ofthe Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris)

1854

Charles Meryon

Associated Names
Charles Meryon

Artist, French, 1821 - 1868

This etching depicts Notre-Dame Cathedral in the distance, featuring its recognizable twin towers and flying buttresses. The horizon line is low, emphasizing the cathedral's height. A bridge connects the cathedral to the land in the foreground. The scene is detailed with fine lines, showing the architectural elements and riverbank activities. The color palette is monochromatic, typical of etchings. Boats and figures, including a horse-drawn cart, are seen near the riverbank.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 14.9 × 28.9 cm (5 7/8 × 11 3/8 in.)
    plate: 16.5 × 30 cm (6 1/2 × 11 13/16 in.)
    sheet: 22.8 × 36 cm (9 × 14 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1958.8.110

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schneiderman 1990, no. 45, State i/ix

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Jules Niel [19th century], Paris; J.J. Heywood [d. 1887], London; Bernard B. MacGeorge [1845-1924], Glasgow, (Lugt 394); Atherton Curtis [1863-1943], Paris, (Lugt 94); Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1958.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1966

  • Art in the Making, Colby College Art Museum, Waterville, ME, 1966.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 22, repro.

1995

  • Prints by James McNeill Whistler and His Contemporaries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995, as The Apse of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris.

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.

Inscriptions

Not signed. Not dated. "Epreuve non termine" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "LD 38I" lower left margin, graphite, unknown hand. "(From the Niel Heywood collections)" lower center margin, graphite, unknown hand. "Possibly unique thus" lower right margin, graphite, unknonw hand. "27" lower right margin, graphite, unknown hand. "30" upper right margin, graphite, unknown hand. "37" verso, lower left sheet, graphite, unknown hand.

Markings

"National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 1932d). (Albert W. Scholle collector's stamp) verso, black stamped ink, (Lugt 2923a).

Watermarks

[illeg.]

Wikidata ID

Q65222216

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