La Pompe Notre Dame

La Pompe Notre Dame is a superb original etching and drypoint on a tan laid Chine paper, hinged to white laid paper, realized in 1852 by the French artist Charles Meryon  (1821-1868).

Titled and dated on plate with autograph writings on the lower margin. Reading from left to right: " C. Meryon f.t Imp R. N. g. Etienne du Mont 26 / Publié par l'artiste / La Pompe Notre Dame / Imp.e A. Delâtre R. St. jacque '76 / 1852 ".

According to the art historians of the raisonné catalogs (Deltein talks about nine total states, the others of ten), our specimen is of the eighth state on 10, published by the artist, as the inscription reports, in 600 prints.

References of the Catalogues Raisonné :

Burty 45,  Wedmore 15, Delteil & Wright 31, Schneiderman 26, Delteil 31.

This splendid original print demonstrates a full mastery of the techniques, and our specimen has preserved its beauty to find in the different and evident nuances of gray and black, a vibrant black in the reflections of the water and a deep black in the foundations of the architecture, the lightness and the fluidity of the sign delineate the clouds and the sky.

In  excellent conditions, including a cream-colored passepartout, cm 34 x 49.

Some copies of the same print are preserved at the Clarence Buckingham Collection, and at the Detroit Institute of Art, and at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Charles Méryon was a French engraver, born in 1821 in Paris. During his life, he visited many countries, capturing their landscapes in drawings. In 1849, E. Bléry introduced him to the engraving technique. The artist is famous for the perfection of his technique and for the intense poetic interpretation of his subjects. He lived in poverty and died in 1868 in Charenton.