L'ancien Louvre d'après une peinture de Zeeman, 1651 (The Old Louvre, from a Painting by Zeeman, 1651)

Meryon employed traditional intaglio methods, incising the design onto a copper plate and using acid to bite the lines. The resulting prints display fine hatching and cross‑hatching that model light and shadow in black, white and gray tones. The restrained palette and precise draftsmanship are characteristic of Meryon’s mature etching style.

Meryon, who worked almost exclusively in etching due to his colour‑blindness, produced this work as part of a series of historic Parisian views. The source painting by Zeeman, dated 1651, documented the Louvre before its 17th‑century expansions. The print entered the French print market shortly after its creation and has since been held in several museum collections.

The 19th‑century French fascination with medieval and early modern Paris provided a backdrop for Meryon’s oeuvre. By revisiting Zeeman’s 17th‑century depiction, Meryon linked contemporary etching practice with earlier Dutch marine painting, highlighting the continuity of visual interest in the Seine’s commercial activity and the Louvre’s architectural evolution.