View of the Tuilleries and the Seine from the Pont de la Concorde

This etching and aquatint is by William Pickett after an original soft ground etching and wash drawing by Thomas Girtin (1775-1802). The short-lived Girtin was a highly promising watercolourist and a close contemporary of J.M.W. Turner, who much admired him. 

This print is Plate 5 of  <em>A Selection of Twenty of the Most Picturesque Views of Paris and its Environs. Drawn and etched by the late Thomas Girtin</em> (London, 1803). It is a view of the Tuileries, taken from the Pont de la Concorde; the quay in is in the left foreground, with the river filling the foreground and centre, and the Pont Royal crossing the river in the distance. Pickett closely follows the additional information added by Girtin in his wash drawing (British Museum), especially in the clouds and the reflections in the water.

Dr Mark Stocker       Curator, Historical International Art        July 2017