View Of The Pont Neuf, French School, 18th Century

View of the Pont Neuf, oil on wood panel, dimensions 28.5 cm x 56 cm, with a gilded frame featuring rocaille decoration measuring 38 cm x 66 cm, 18th-century French school.
Exhibited at the Galerie Charpentier in “Paris and Its Painters,” 1944–1945; this major exhibition, organized in a Paris undergoing cultural reconstruction, brought together works celebrating the capital throughout the centuries. Our painting was featured there as a representative example of 18th-century topographical painting, reflecting the city and its visual imagery.
The composition is organized around a broad river vista centered on the Seine, dominated in the distance by the Pont Neuf, recognizable by its massive deck and the regularity of its arches. The foreground opens onto a bustling square, punctuated by an equestrian statue on a pedestal, likely an allusion to the statue of Henry IV, restored in 1818 but often depicted in earlier views as a symbol of Paris. The scene is filled with pedestrians, horsemen, carriages, and small figures that bring the square to life without disrupting the overall balance. The clear, slightly cloudy sky lends a serene and luminous atmosphere typical of 18th-century urban views.