Pont Neuf

For the bridge inToulouse,seePont Neuf, Toulouse.

Le Pont Neuf
The bridge as seen from thePont des Arts
Coordinates	48°51′27″N2°20′30″E
Crosses	RiverSeine
Locale	Paris, France
Next upstream	Pont au Change Pont Saint-Michel
Next downstream	Pont des Arts
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Stone
Total length	232 metres (761 ft)
Width	22 metres (72 ft)
No.of spans	7 + 5
History
Designer	Believed to beBaptiste Androuet du Cerceauand Guillaume Marchand maintenance engineering by Soufflot, Perronet, Lagalisserie and Résal
Construction start	1578
Construction end	1607
Location

ThePont Neuf(French pronunciation:[pɔ̃nœf],"New Bridge" ) is the oldest standingbridge across the river SeineinParis,France.It stands by the western (downstream) point of theÎle de la Cité,the island in the middle of the river that was, between 250 and 225 BC, the birthplace of Paris, then known asLutetiaand, during themedieval period,the heart of the city.

The bridge is composed of two separate spans, one of five arches joining the left bank to theÎle de la Cité,another of seven joining the island to the right bank. Old engraved maps of Paris show that the newly built bridge just grazed the downstream tip of theÎle de la Cité;since then, the natural sandbar building of amid-river island,aided by stone-faced embankments calledquais,has extended the island. Today the tip of the island is the location of theSquare du Vert-Galant,a small public park named in honour ofHenry IV,nicknamed the "Green Gallant".

The namePont Neufwas given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, and has remained after all of those were replaced. Its name notwithstanding, it has long been the oldest bridge in Paris crossing the Seine. It has been listed since 1889 as amonument historiqueby theFrench Ministry of Culture.

Construction

Painting of thePont Neufproject as approved byKing Henry IIIin 1578. The bridge was completed in 1607 with a less ornate design.

As early as 1550,Henry IIwas asked to build a bridge here because the existingPont Notre-Damewas overloaded, but the expense was too much at the time.

In February 1578,the decision to build the bridge was made byHenry IIIwho laid its first stone in on 31 May 1578,the same year when the foundations of four piers and one abutment were completed.Pierre des Isles, one of the builders, convinced the supervisory commission that the bridge, which was originally planned straight, would be more resistant to the river currents if its two sections were built at a slight angle. The change was adopted in May 1578.

Further design changes were made during the summer of 1579. First, the number of arches was changed from eight and four to seven and five. This was not a problem on the north side, where nothing had been built, but on the south, where the four piles and the abutment on the Left Bank were already laid, the addition of the fifth arch necessitated reducing the length of the platform on the island, theterre-plein,from 28.5toisesto about 19. Second, it was decided to allow houses to be built on the bridge (though they never were). This required the widening of the bridge.The remaining piers were built over the next nine years.After a long delay beginning in 1588, due to political unrest and to theWars of Religion,construction was resumed in 1599 under the reign of Henry IV.The bridge was opened to traffic in 1604 and completed in July 1606.It was inaugurated by Henry IV in 1607.

Like most bridges of its time, thePont Neufis constructed as a series of many shortarch bridges,followingRoman precedents.It was the first stone bridge in Paris not to support houses in addition to a thoroughfare, and was also fitted with pavements protecting pedestrians from mud and horses; pedestrians could also step aside into itsbastionsto let a bulky carriage pass. The decision not to include houses on the bridge can be traced back directly to Henry IV, who decided against their inclusion on the grounds that houses would impede a clear view of theLouvre,which the newly builtgalerie du bord de l'eaulinked to theTuileries Palace.

The bridge had heavy traffic from the beginning;it was for a long time the widest bridge in Paris. It has undergone much repair and renovation work, including rebuilding of seven spans in the long arm and lowering of the roadway by changing the arches from an almost semi-circular to elliptical form (1848–1855), lowering of sidewalks and faces of thepiers,spandrels,cornicesand replacing crumbledcorbelsas closely to the originals as possible.In 1885, one of the piers of the short arm was undermined, removing the two adjacent arches, requiring them to be rebuilt and all the foundations strengthened.

A major restoration of thePont Neufwas begun in 1994 and was completed in 2007, the year of its 400th anniversary.

Mascarons

The mascarons, 381 in number, are copies of the Renaissance originals

Themascaronsare the stone masks, 381 in number, each being different and which decorate the sides of the bridge. They represent the heads of forest and field divinities from ancient mythology, as well assatyrsandsylvains.They are copies of the originals attributed to the French Renaissance sculptorGermain Pilon(1525–1590), who also sculpted the tomb of KingHenry II of Franceand QueenCatherine de'Mediciin theBasilica of St Denis,five kilometers north of Paris. Themascaronsremained in place until 1851–1854, when the bridge was completely rebuilt. At that time six of the originalmascaronsfrom the 16th century were placed in theMusée Carnavalet,along with eight molds of other originals. Eight other originals were first placed in theMusée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge,and are now in the French National Museum of the Renaissance in theChâteau d'Écouen.During their reconstruction, the Renaissance masks were replaced with copies made by noted 19th-century sculptors, including Hippolyte Maindron, Hubert Lavigne,Antoine-Louis Baryeand Fontenelle. Fontenelle made 61 masks, which are found on the upstream side of the bridge between the right bank and theÎle de la Cité.

Equestrian statue of Henry IV

Statue of Henry IV on thePont Neuf(1618, destroyed 1792, replaced 1818)

At the point where the bridge crosses theÎle de la Cité,there stands a bronzeequestrian statue of king Henry IV,originally commissioned fromGiambolognaunder the orders ofMarie de Médicis,Henri's widow and Regent of France, in 1614. After his death, Giambologna's assistantPietro Taccacompleted the statue, which was erected on its pedestal byPietro Francavilla,in 1618. It was destroyed in 1792 during theFrench Revolution,but was rebuilt in 1818, following the restoration of theBourbonmonarchy. Bronze for the new statue was obtained with the bronze from a statue ofLouis Charles Antoine Desaix,as well as from the statue of Napoleon inPlace Vendôme,which was melted down. The new statue was cast from a mold made using a surviving cast of the original. Inside the statue, the new sculptorFrançois-Frédéric Lemotput four boxes, containing a history of the life of Henry IV, a 17th-century parchment certifying the original statue, a document describing how the new statue was commissioned, and a list of people who contributed to a public subscription.

La Samaritaine

Between 1712 and 1719, replacing an earlier one, a large pump house was built on the bridge. It was decorated with an image of theSamaritan woman at the well.As a result, the structure (which included a carillon) was namedLa Samaritaine.Years after it was torn down (in 1813), Ernest Cognacq, a 19th-century merchant, set up a stand on the site and gradually grew his business to what became, in 1869, the department storeLa Samaritaine.

As the center of Paris

ThePont Neufin 1615, (Map of Paris byMatthäus Merian)

ThePont Neufin 1763, byNicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet

Le Pont-Neuf,Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 1872 painting of Parisians crossing the bridge

All through the 18th century, thePont Neufwas the center of Paris, lively with both crime and commerce:

Czar Peter the Great, who came to study French civilization under the regency of the Duke d'Orleans, declared that he had found nothing more curious in Paris than the Pont Neuf; and, sixty years later, the philosopher Franklin wrote to his friends in America that he had not understood the Parisian character except in crossing the Pont Neuf.

In 1862,Édouard Fourniertraced its history in his lively two-volumeHistoire du Pont-Neuf.He describes how, even before it was completed (in 1607), gangs hid out in and around it, robbing and murdering people. It remained a dangerous place even as it became busier. For a long time, the bridge even had its own gallows.

This did not prevent people from congregating there, drawn by various stands and street performers (acrobats, fire-eaters, musicians, etc.). Charlatans and quacks of various sorts were also common, as well as the hustlers (shell gamehucksters, etc.) and pickpockets often found in crowds – not to mention a lively trade in prostitution. Among the many businesses which, however, unofficially set up there, were several famous tooth pullers.

In 1701, Cotolendi quoted a letter supposedly written by a Sicilian tourist:

One finds on the Pont-Neuf an infinity of people who give tickets, some put fallen teeth back in, and others make crystal eyes; there are those who cure incurable illnesses; those who claim to have discovered the virtues of some powdered stones to white and to beautify the face. This one claims he makes old men young; there are those who remove wrinkles from the forehead and the eyes, who make wooden legs to repair the violence of bombs; finally everybody is so applied to work, so strongly and continually, that the devil can tempt no one but on Holidays and Sundays.

With its numerous sellers of pamphlets and satirical performers, it was also a center for social commentary:

In the 16th cent. the Pont-Neuf was the scene of the recitals of Tabarin, a famous satirist of the day, and it was long afterwards the favourite rendezvous of news-vendors, jugglers, showmen, loungers, and thieves. Any popular witticism in verse was long known asun Pont-Neuf.

In the seventeenth century, that bridge of memories, the oldPont Neufof Paris, was the rendezvous of quacksalvers and mountebanks. Booths for the sale of various articles lined the sides of the bridge. People flocked there to see the sights, laugh, chat, make love and enjoy life as only Parisians can. Students andgrisettesof theQuartier latinelbowed ladies and gentlemen of the court. Bourgeois families came to study the flippant manners of thearistocrats.Poodleclippers plied their trade; jugglers amused thequid nuncswith feats of dexterity; traveling dentists pulled teeth and sold balsams; clowns tumbled; and last, but not least, pickpockets lifted purses and silk handkerchiefs with impunity. Says Augustus J. C. Hare (Walks in Paris): "So central an artery is the Pont Neuf, that it used to be a saying with the Parisian police, that if, after watching three days, they did not see a man cross the bridge, he must have left Paris." One of the principal vendors of quack nostrums of thePont Neufwas Montdor. He was aided by a buffoon namedTabarin,who made facetious replies to questions asked by his master, accompanied with laughable grimaces and grotesque gestures. The modern ringmaster and clown of the circus have similar scenes together, minus the selling of medicines.

ThePont Neufwith theEiffel Towerand theInstitut de Francein the background. Abateau-mouchesails on theSeine

UnderLouis XV,thieves and entertainers were joined by recruiters, or "sellers of human flesh", who did their best to lure newcomers to Paris and others "with as much violence as the sale of Negros in the Congo".Silversmiths and other luxury businesses nearby (which gave their name to theQuai des Orfèvres) drew visitors as well.

One yearly event, held on the nearbyPlace Dauphine,prefigured theSalon des Refuséswhich would give rise to theImpressionists.During the celebration of theCorpus Christi(Fête-Dieu), thePlace Dauphinehosted one of the most magnificentreposoirs(portable altars for the Host).

Along with all the rich silverwork and tapestries placed on it, some local silversmiths ordered paintings for these. This led to art dealers being asked to participate and, ultimately, to the newest talents being shown at thePetite Fête-Dieu(the Small Corpus Christi), a reduced version of the Corpus Christi holiday which took place eight days later. Though their canvases were only shown from six in the morning to noon, this became an important opportunity for unknown artists to draw attention. Among other things, this led to the painters there signing their work, as was not frequent in the Salon – which was not always an advantage when the work was publicly and loudly critiqued.

Showing works, which often had no pretense of a religious subject, they might then be noticed and find an entree into the official Academy. Chardin is one of the most famous painters to have started this way.

In 1720, a young man of about twenty-two, son of the man who maintained the king's billiards, displayed a canvas here showing an antique bas-relief. J.-B. Vanloo passed by, looked at the canvas for a long time, found great qualities there, and bought it. He wanted afterwards to know the young painter, encouraged him, gave him advice, of which the latter perhaps had no need, got him work, which was more useful, and eight years later, the unknown of theplace Dauphinewas his colleague at the Academy of Painting.... he was calledJean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.

The slow decline of the bridge's central role began in 1754: "Starting in 1754, the first year of the vogue, the madness of the boulevards, it was no longer the thing to talk about theCours[the Champs-Elysées], and still less of this poor Pont-Neuf. To the Boulevard, at once, long live the Boulevard! ".Still the bridge remained a lively place through the end of the century. With time, people became wary of its reputation and other changes subdued its atmosphere. In 1840, Lacroix wrote: "Once the pont Neuf was a perpetual fair; at present, it is just a bridge to be crossed without stopping."

Possible first photograph of human being

Pont Neuf photographed by Louis Daguerre, 1836-39. Like most daguerreotypes, the image is mirrored. Two people can be seen lying in the shade.

In 1838,Louis Daguerreproduced his famousdaguerreotypeportrait of theView of the Boulevard du Temple,widely considered the first photograph where ahumancan be seen. However, between 1836 and 1837, Daguerre made several tests, in order to experiment with and perfect the new technique in an outdoor environment.

One surviving example is an image of the Pont Neuf and the equestrian statue ofHenry IV,made possibly as early as 1836. On the lower-left side of the image, what appears to be a worker, or perhaps two, can be seen lying against the fence, in the shadow of the statue.

Christo's project

In 1985, after years of negotiation with themayor of Paris,the art duoChristo and Jeanne-Claudewrapped the Pont Neuf.

Access

Location on the Seine

___	Located near theMétro station:Pont Neuf.

See also

• Les Amants du Pont-Neuf(The Lovers on the Bridge), a film byLeos Carax,released in 1991
• List of crossings of the River Seine
• List of bridges in France

Bibliography

• Baedeker, Karl (1884).Paris and environs: with routes from London to Paris and from Paris to the Rhine and Switzerland,8th revised edition. Leipzig: Karl Baedeker.CopyatGoogle Books.
• Ballon, Hilary (1991).The Paris of Henri IV: Architecture and Urbanism.Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.ISBN978-0262023092.
• Cotolendi, Charles (1701).Saint-Evremoniana: Ou Receuil de diverses piéces curieuses.Amsterdam: Pierre Mortier.Copyat Google Books. Note: "The author affixed the name ofSaint-Evremontin order to quicken the sale "(Additions to the Library,Boston Athenaeum, 1890, p. 1257).
• DeJean, Joan. "The bridge where Paris became modern: the Pont Neuf" in herHow Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern CityNY: Bloomsbury, 2014.ISBN978-1608195916.chapter 1, pp. 21–44.
• Evans, Henry Ridgely (1909).The Old and the New Magic.Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Co.Copyat Google Books.
• Fournier Édouard (1862).Histoire du Pont-Neuf.Paris: E. Dentu. Vol. 1 (copies1and2) and vol. 2 (copies1and2) at Google Books.
• Lacroix, Paul (1858).Curiosités de l'histoire du vieux Paris.Paris: Adolphe Delahays.Copyat Google Books.
• Lasteyrie, R. de (1882). "Documents inédits sur la construction du Pont-Neuf,"Mémoires de la Société de l'Histoire de Paris et de l'Ile de France,vol. 9 (1882), pp. 1–94.CopyatGallica.
• Metman, Yves, editor (1987).Le Registre ou plumitif de la construction du Pont Neuf: archives nationales Z1f 1065.Paris: Service des travaux historiques de la Ville de Paris.OCLC21504748.
• Strohmayer, Ulf (2007). "Engineering Vision: the Pont-Neuf in Paris and Modernity", pp. 75–92, inThe City and the Senses: Urban Culture since 1500,edited by A. Cowan and J. Steward. Basingstoke: Ashgate.ISBN978-0754684237.
• Whitney, Charles S. ([1929]; reprint 2003).Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction.Mineola, New York: Dover Publications.ISBN978-0486429953.

External links

• Tourist review
• About Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris
• France Pittoresque: Histoire du Pont Neuf(in French)