Artwork
Etchings of Paris: The Mortuary
Etchings of Paris: The Mortuary 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.
About this work
Meryon worked on plates for weeks, testing ink and paper to get the shadows just right.
Meryon shows a quiet Paris morgue in 1854. Two rows of stone slabs hold covered bodies. The room feels cold and empty except for a single light on a desk.
He loved etching Paris’s older spots before they changed. Meryon worked on plates for weeks, testing ink and paper to get the shadows just right. His prints often look dreamlike, even though they’re real places.
This etching feels lonely. Look up Charles Meryon (French, 1821–1868).
Overview
Created in 1854, this etching depicts the interior of Paris’s municipal morgue, a building erected in 1568 that was slated for demolition during the city’s mid‑century modernization. The composition presents two rows of stone slabs bearing shrouded bodies, illuminated by a solitary lamp on a desk, conveying a stark, quiet atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work records a now‑lost facet of Parisian urban life, focusing on the somber function of the morgue and the anonymity of death within the city’s historic fabric. By isolating the space and emphasizing the muted light, the image invites contemplation of mortality amid the bustling metropolis.
Technique & Style
Meryon employed a meticulous, multi‑state etching process, refining the plate over weeks to control tonal gradations. He experimented with ink density and paper choice, favoring a pale‑green sheet that enhances the subtle shadows and lends the print a slightly ethereal quality despite its realistic subject.
History & Provenance
The French etcher Charles Meryon (1821–1868) devoted himself exclusively to drawing and printmaking by his late twenties, becoming a leading figure in the mid‑19th‑century etching revival. This particular impression belongs to a series of Parisian views that document older districts before their disappearance, and it has been held in several public collections since the late 19th century.
Context
During the 1850s, Paris underwent extensive Haussmannian redevelopment, which erased many medieval structures. Meryon’s focus on antiquated sites such as the morgue reflects a broader artistic interest in preserving the city’s vanished architecture through print, a medium that could be reproduced and disseminated widely.
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.
La Morgue
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)
La morgue, Paris (The Mortuary)
Rue des Marmousets (Old Paris)
Thames Police
The Exchange Bridge, Paris, about 1784
Etchings of Paris: The Notre Dame Pump
Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
The Mortuary, Paris
Pirouette Street, near the Markets, Paris