Albert Decaris Engraving "allegory Of Paris" Monuments, Mid-20th Century

We present a very important engraving by Albert Decaris (1901–1988) titled “Allegory of the City of Paris” (or simply Paris).

At the center of the composition stands a monumental statue embodying the city of Paris.

Clothed in a drapery with classical folds, she holds a sailing ship (a ship) in her hands, a historical symbol of merchants, whose trade passed through the Seine and which appears in the capital’s traditional coat of arms (Fluctuat nec mergitur).

The engraving depicts a sweeping panorama of the Parisian cityscape, through a spectacular bird’s-eye view that takes in the entire capital. In the foreground, at the bottom of the engraving, stands Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, depicted in great detail with its nave, apse, and flying buttresses; it dominates the Île de la Cité and the branches of the Seine. On the left, the Seine winds beneath a succession of bridges all the way to the Arc de Triomphe on the horizon. On the right, in the background atop its hill, stands the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre. Also visible are the Church of La Madeleine, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre Palace, the Saint-Jacques Tower, Saint-Eustache, and others.

The engraving is characteristic of Decaris’s style: an exaggerated and dynamic bird’s-eye view, precise chisel work creating sharp contrasts of light and shadow, as well as a monumental and neoclassical flair in the treatment of the human figure.