Without doubt the most prolific French topographical artist of the seventeenth century, Israël Silvestre left an extensive œuvre consisting of prints and drawings that document in an unprecedented way many of his country’s most important cities and sites, and in particular Paris (see B. Gady and J. Trey, La France vue du Grand Siècle. Dessins d’Isräel Silvestre (1621-1691), exib. cat., Paris, Musée du Louvre, 2018). The present drawing represents the Tour de Nesle on the Seine’s left bank, approximately where the Institut de France is located now, as shown in numerous contemporary views of Paris. The drawing seems to date after 1641, when the Hôtel de Nevers adjoining the tower was demolished; in the background, the Porte de la Conférence and the wooden Pont Rouge, later replaced by the Pont Royal.
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