Miles Barton Art and Interiors has dated this 18th Century Paris Engraving to the 18th Century.
Period style gilded edged and carved dark wood frame
Framed: 54 x 32 cm (21 ¼ x 13 in)
Paper size: 48 x 26 cm (19 x 10 ¼ in)
Provenance: A French historian, Oxford University, England
Entitled ‘A View of Paris, from the church of Nostre Dame to the Pont de la Tournelle,’ it was engraved by Nathaniel Parr for the British market with this edition published by Laurie & Whittle in 1794. It is an English adaptation based closely on a 1729 composition by the prominent French draftsman and etcher Jacques Rigaud, who originally titled the scene "Autre Vue Particulière de Paris depuis Nôtre Dame, Jusques au Pont de la Tournelle".
The vantage point is taken from the Quai de Miramion on the Left Bank, looking diagonally across the river toward the eastern tip of the Île de la Cité. On the left side of the composition, the majestic gothic silhouette of Notre-Dame Cathedral dominates the riverfront, while the historic Pont de la Tournelle arches across the Seine to the right. The mid-ground reveals a bustling 18th-century waterway filled with traditional river vessels, set against a backdrop of distant architectural landmarks. These include the old timber-framed Pont Rouge, the Hôtel de Ville (Paris Town Hall), and the distinct steeples of the churches of Saint-Jean-en-Grève and Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais, offering a detailed and vibrant window into pre-revolutionary Paris.
In this view of Paris, the focus is very much on the action of life along the Seine. Workmen handle cargo in boats on the river, a lady and gentleman clasp hands in the right foreground, and draft horses pull a load of wood on the far right. The two coaches in the foreground suggest the passage or arrival of wealthy passengers. The vantage point is one of several that Rigaud selected in his series of views of Paris. Rather than focusing on a single monument, the print displays a broad panorama.
Miles Barton Art and Interiors has dated this 18th Century Paris Engraving to the 18th Century.
British and european pictures and works of art from the 17th to 20th century
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18th Century Engraving of a View of Paris, Original Hand Colouring
