Artwork
Etchings of Paris: Old Gate of the Palace of Justice
Etchings of Paris: Old Gate of the Palace of Justice is a print by the Impressionist artist Charles Meryon. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created in 1854, this print presents the Old Gate of the Palace of Justice in Paris.
- Accession no.
- 1954.878
- Credit line
- The Milton Curtiss Rose Collection in memory of Evelyn Curtiss Rose
About this work
Overview
Created in 1854, this print presents the Old Gate of the Palace of Justice in Paris. Rendered in black-and-white, the composition emphasizes the massive stone arch, its textured masonry, and the modest structure perched above it. Distant buildings and foliage appear as faint outlines, giving the scene a sense of depth while keeping the gate as the focal point.
Subject & Meaning
The image isolates a single architectural element, a medieval‑style gate, highlighting its solidity and the play of light across its surfaces. By concentrating on the gate’s form and shadow, the work suggests the enduring presence of historic structures amid the evolving urban landscape, reflecting the artist’s fascination with Paris’s Gothic character.
Technique & Style
Executed almost entirely in drypoint and acid etching, the print relies on fine line work and deep hatching to model volume. The artist’s limited palette, a consequence of his colour‑blindness, forces a focus on tonal contrast; the dense, cross‑hatched shadows give the stone a tactile weight, a hallmark of mid‑19th‑century French etching.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to a series of Parisian views that the artist produced during a prolific period in the 1850s. Although the series was well known in France, it remained relatively obscure in English‑language circles. The print has passed through several private collections before entering its present museum holding, where it is displayed alongside other works from the same series.
Context
The artist, a prominent French etcher of his generation, often turned to the city’s medieval architecture as a counterpoint to the rapid modernization of the Second Empire. His personal struggles, including mental illness and a background in a performing‑arts family, informed a somber, introspective tone that pervades his depictions of Parisian monuments.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Meryon (sometimes Méryon, 23 November 1821 – 14 February 1868) was a French artist who worked almost entirely in etching, as he had colour blindness.
- The Etchings of Paris: The Gallery of Notre Dame
Ancienne porte du Palais de Justice, Paris (Old Gate of the Palace of Justice, Paris)
Ancienne porte du Palais de Justice, Paris (Old Gate of the Palace of Justice, Paris)
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