House with a Turret, No. 22, rue de L'Ecole de Médecine, Paris - Charles Meryon

A detailed 1861 etching by Charles Meryon capturing the historic Turret of Marat in Paris with precise, atmospheric line work.

Charles Meryon was a central figure in the nineteenth-century revival of etching. This work, produced in 1861, depicts a specific Parisian building known as the Turret of Marat, located at 22 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine. Meryon possessed a unique ability to transform urban architecture into a psychological space. His lines are precise, capturing the weathered stone and the narrow, claustrophobic streets of old Paris with a sense of historical gravity.

The composition focuses on the verticality of the turret, which dominates the left side of the frame. Meryon uses a dense network of cross-hatching to define the shadows and textures of the masonry. The sky above is filled with swirling, turbulent clouds, a common motif in his work that adds a sense of unease to the scene. Below, the street level is populated with small, indistinct figures, providing a sense of scale and human activity against the imposing, ancient architecture.

This etching was created during a period when Paris was undergoing significant modernisation under Baron Haussmann. Meryon, however, looked backward, documenting the medieval and Renaissance structures that were rapidly disappearing. His approach was not merely documentary; he infused his prints with a personal, often melancholic, perspective on the city. The inclusion of the turret, associated with the revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, adds a layer of historical narrative to the architectural study. The print demonstrates Meryon's technical mastery of the copper plate, where every stroke serves to build form and atmosphere. It remains a significant example of his contribution to the graphic arts, reflecting his obsession with the physical and historical layers of the French capital.