Le Quai de la Tournelle (The Embankment of the Little Tower)

Inscriptions

Signed and inscribed, in graphite, lower right margin: No. 107 J. F. Raffaelli

Label

Situated in the 5th arrondissement, this print provides an all-encompassing view of the heart of Paris. Yet, it is also a fragmented one. Groups stemming from different social classes occupy disparate sections of the etching; in parallel, Notre-Dame de Paris, with its towering cathedral spire, and a large tree divide the composition. The color palette comprises beige, grey, and a subtle blue, which lends a spareness to the image. Similarly, the represented social groups are physically quite close yet do not meaningfully interact. Analogous to the spirit of modern life, nature and culture emerge as two poles dividing this riverside scene.

From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 125, Chasing Modernity: Fleeting Moments and Elusive Urbanity, curated by Ellie Brown ’25, Conroy Intern

Provenance

Korner & Wood, Cleveland, no. 107/160; Jane Slaight McGuire; given to present collection, 1976.

Catalogue Raisonne

L. Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustre, vol. 16, no. 95.

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