Description
The Bassin was constructed in the former village of La Villette between 1806 and 1809 to provide a harbor and a reservoir. It was formed from the Canal d'Ourcq connecting the Ourcq, a tributary of the Marne, with the Seine.
Lépine produced a number of paintings of this waterway conveniently located east of Montmartre. Here he shows it on a sunny, though hazy and apparently humid day. Flanking the waterway are numerous barges and warehouses.
A similar view, "Le Bassin de La Villette," is illustrated in John Couper, "Stanislas Lépine, sa vie, son oeuvre," Paris, 1969, fig. 31.
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