Notre-Dame de Paris

Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Curatorial Overview

“Victor Hugo's celebrated 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris tells the story of Quasimodo, a disfigured orphan raised by the archdeacon of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Hugo's novel became an important influence on many artists and helped to define a poetic view of the medieval period and of Gothic architecture that lasted well into the second half of the century. This drawing by Luc-Olivier Merson was reproduced as a wood engraving in an illustrated tribute to Hugo published in 1881.”

Mediumpen and black ink, brush and black wash, white gouache and graphite on paper

Dimensions{"sheet":{"height":0.326,"height_inch":12,"height_inch_fraction":0.8125,"width":0.217,"width_inch":8,"width_inch_fraction":0.5625}}

OriginFrance, 19th century

InstitutionThe Cleveland Museum of Art

Accession No.2008.359

Credit LineBequest of Muriel Butkin

View Museum Archive Record

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Drawings • France, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery