Justin Ouvrié (1806-1879): " Place De La Concorde, Obelisque, Hotel De La Marine, Palais Bourbon, Paris 1842 "

Justin OUVRIÉ (1806-1879): "Place de la Concorde, Obelisk, Hotel de la Marine, Palais Bourbon, Paris 1842"; Pair of ink washes, one signed and dated 1842 lower left. Dimensions of each: circa 12 x 19 cm. Place de la Concorde Between 1836 and 1846, the square was transformed by the architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff who retained the principle imagined by Gabriel. He added two monumental fountains (which were among the first to be made of cast iron) on either side of the obelisk and surrounded the square with lampposts and rostral columns. The square is thus intended to be a celebration of the naval genius of France, in reference to the presence, in one of the two hotels built by Gabriel, of the Ministry of the Navy. The two fountains - inaugurated on May 1, 1840 by the prefect Rambuteau - celebrate river navigation (north fountain, with seated figures representing the Rhine and the Rhône and the harvests of grapes and wheat) and maritime navigation (south fountain, with the Mediterranean, the ocean and fishing). For the realization of the statues adorning these fountains, the architect will call on many artists: Jean-François-Théodore Gechter, Honoré Jean Aristide Husson, François Lanno, Nicolas Brion, Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay, Antoine Desboeufs, Jean-Jacques Feuchère, Antonin-Marie Moine, Jean-Jacques Elshoecht (known as Carle Elshoecht) and Louis-Parfait Merlieux. The rostral columns bear ship's prows, which also evoke the emblem of the City of Paris. The allegorical statues of eight French cities draw the outline of the octagon imagined by Gabriel. The one evoking Strasbourg, by James Pradier is draped in black from 1871, the date of the attachment of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. On September 28, 1870, when the Alsatian city capitulated in the middle of the Franco-Prussian war, a million people came to lay wreaths and flags in front of the statue; it then becomes an important monument for revenge. On March 1, 1871, when the siege of Paris was over, the Prussians posed for a photograph on the Place de la Concorde, around several cannons14. Justin Pierre OUVRIÉ (1806-1879) Pierre Justin Ouvrié said Justin Ouvrié, born January 19, 1806 in Paris and died October 22, 1879 in Sotteville-lès-Rouen, was a French painter and lithographer. Biography Justin Ouvrié was a student of Baron Taylor and Abel de Pujol at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
He participated in the Salons from 1831, with views of cities and monuments, sometimes animated by historical or picturesque scenes. It met with great success under the July Monarchy. He obtained a 2nd class medal at the Salon of 1831, and a 1st medal in 1843. He received a 3rd class medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. He was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 18541. Museums: Alencon; Angouleme; Auxerre; Bagneres de Bigorre; Cambrais; Sweet whipped cream; Dijon; Dolé; Douay; Dreux; Langres; Narbonne; Provinces; Le Puy-en-Velay; Rochefort; Strasbourg; Tarbes; Troyes; Versailles; Ypres.