Le Pont Neuf et la Samaritaine de dessous la première arche du Pont au Change

About this artwork

Aankoop uit het F.G. Waller-Fonds

Art Historical Context

Charles Meryon’s *Le Pont Neuf et la Samaritaine de dessous la première arche du Pont Change* (1855) captures a dramatic vista of historic Paris from an unusual vantage: beneath the first arch of the Pont au, gazing toward the iconic Pont Ne and the Renaissance Samaritaine pump house. This etching, measuring a compact 144 × 203 mm, belongs to Meryon’s celebrated *Eaux-Fortes sur* series, where he meticulously documented the city’s medieval architecture on the brink of Baron Haussmann’s transformative renovations. As a master etcher, Meryon elevated printmaking to fine art through his virtuoso technique—deeply incised lines on copper plates that yield rich tonal contrasts, intricate details of stonework, and atmospheric depth. Etching allowed him to infuse Romantic melancholy into urban scenes, blending precise observation with subtle fantasy, foreshadowing Impressionism. Created amid Meryon’s growing mental struggles, this work exemplifies his obsession with Paris’s vanishing riverscape. This piece, acquired via the F.G. Waller Fund, offers visitors a poignant glimpse into 19th-century Paris—a bridge between eras, preserving architectural poetry in ink before modernity swept it away.

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...