Ancienne Porte du Palais de Justice (Old Gate of Palace of Justice), Paris , from Eaux-fortes sur Paris, pl.3 (D-W 19 III/III - S 22 - B 33 - W 3)

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Ancienne Porte du Palais de Justice (Old Gate of Palace of Justice), Paris , from Eaux-fortes sur Paris, pl.3 (D-W 19 III/III - S 22 - B 33 - W 3)

Artist Charles Meryon (French, 1821-1868)

Place of OriginFrance

Date1854

Dimensions3 3/8 × 3 7/16 in. (8.6 × 8.7 cm)

Mediumetching

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1921.164

Not on View

Label TextCharles Meryon is one of the seminal figures in the history of etching. His talents and inventiveness are often compared with those of Rembrandt and Whistler. His master series Eaux-fortes sur Paris (“Etchings of Paris”) ranks among the most important landmarks in French printmaking history. The Toledo Museum’s Meryon collection includes 121 prints and features some of his most famous works. This is the frontispiece for the “Etchings of Paris” series. In this image, the two round medieval towers are enlarged out of scale, thus rendering them foreboding. The ominous note is further accentuated by the flying demon holding a banner. The idea for the demon was inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s lithograph of Mephistopheles flying at night over a city (1828).Published ReferencesWareheim, Marja, "Brassai: images of culture and the Surrealist observer", Baton Rouge, 1996, p. 50, fig.8.Exhibition HistoryThe Toledo Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, St. Louis Art Museum, Charles Meryon Prints and Drawings, 1974-75, No. 5, p.33, repr. TMA show, December 23, 2000 - March 11, 2001. TMA, Storytelling in Miniature, October 7, 2011-March 4, 2012.