The Grotesque (Le Stryge)details

The Grotesque (Le Stryge)

Out of copyright (called public domain in the USA), hence royalty-free stock image for all purposes usage credit requested
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This etching from 1852 is of a 19th century gargoyle on Nôtre Dame cathedral in Paris. The engraving shows a horned and winged grotesque figure with its tongue sticking out. Strictyl speaking is it not a gargoyle as it does not gargle: as far as i can tell, water does not emerge from its spout. It is overlooking the city of Paris, with elbows resting on a ledge and head in hands, while crows fly about. All very goth.

The book says (roughly translated):

Or in German and French, as in the book:

which at least rhymes. The comment about 8 states means that if you compare different surviving prints from the original plate that Meryon engraved, you can see that it was modified, probably by Meryon himself, making at least eight different versions. Because some alterations are irreversible (you can take away metal, or wood, but you canéasily add it back), the states can be placed in order, and the verse appears with the fourth generation of the engraving.

This is of course the most famous engraving that Charles Meryon made.

NOTE: unusually for fromoldbooks, i have left the grey here, as it seems to have been a deliberate surface tone, sometimes (perhaps incorrectly) also called plate-wash. There is also a brighter version which may be more useful for some kinds of reproduction, for example on grey or brown paper.

gargoyles, statuary, sculpture, statues, spooky, tongue, towers, views, cityscapes, crows, birds, gothic architecture, gothic, goth, wings, mythological creatures, oval

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

09-gargoyle-q75-380x500.jpg

2314 dots per inch (approximately)