Artwork

Ancienne habitation à Bourges, dite "La Maison du Musicien" (An Old House at Bourges, Sometimes Called the "Musician's House")

Ancienne habitation à Bourges, dite "La Maison du Musicien" (An Old House at Bourges, Sometimes Called the "Musician's House") is a graphite print by the Impressionist artist Charles Meryon. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1860, this print portrays an aged residence in the French city of Bourges, often referred to as the “Musician’s House.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1860, this print portrays an aged residence in the French city of Bourges, often referred to as the “Musician’s House.” The image was produced by Charles Meryon, a French etcher whose work is noted for its focus on architectural subjects.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a narrow, cobbled street lined with timber-framed houses, steep tiled roofs, and exposed beams. A horse‑drawn cart rests beside a shop with large windows, while two figures converse on the pavement, suggesting a moment of ordinary, everyday activity in a quiet neighbourhood.

Technique & Style

Meryon combined traditional copper‑plate etching with graphite accents on wove Japanese paper, allowing for delicate line work and subtle tonal variation. The predominance of black‑and‑white rendering, precise incised lines, and careful rendering of texture reflect the mid‑nineteenth‑century French interest in realistic, unidealised urban scenes.

History & Provenance

Meryon, who relied on etching because of his colour‑blindness, produced a series of architectural views during the 1860s. His later years were marked by mental illness, and he died in an asylum in 1868. The print remains part of his limited output of architectural subjects.

Context

The work belongs to a period when French artists increasingly turned to direct observation of city life, documenting the built environment with a documentary eye. Meryon’s focus on Gothic‑style structures aligns with his broader fascination with historic architecture, especially in Paris, while this piece extends his interest to provincial towns.

Artist & collection

Artist

Charles Meryon

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.