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View of the Pont Neuf, the Tower and the former Porte de Nesle (MEAUME 0714). Late impression. On the riverbank, at lower right, one reads: Callot fec.
Taken from the left bank, this “veduta” by Jacques Callot offers a view of the Seine quays dominated in the foreground by the Tower of Nesle, recognizable by its cylindrical silhouette and its smoking summit. In the background, the Pont Neuf—then the most modern and the largest of Parisian bridges—stretches across the scene, structuring the perspective. The foreground, teeming with figures, carts, animals, and boats, illustrates the way in which Callot combines documentary precision with a keen sense of staging.
This engraving comes from the series Views of Paris, a group of plates that Callot produced in the late 1620s and early 1630s, probably at the request of Parisian patrons sensitive both to the topography of the capital and to the narrative talent of the Lorraine engraver. These views, which do not form a strictly homogeneous series but rather a coherent group by subject and execution, testify to Callot’s interest in animated urban landscapes.
Through his incisive line, his taste for detail, and his ability to orchestrate a crowd without ever losing the overall clarity, Callot here renews the tradition of the urban view. This plate fully belongs to the vein of the Views of Paris, where the artist combines observation, technical virtuosity, and a pervasive sense of theatricality.
Our engraving is framed with a mat and anti-reflective, UV-protective glass.
Dimensions: 16.6 x 33.8 cm (engraving)
