Une larme pour une goutte d'eau (Notre-Dame de Paris), 1903 (oil on canvas)

Une larme pour une goutte d'eau (Notre-Dame de Paris) (Dummy title) Merson, Luc-Olivier The painting illustrates the main moment of the episode that makes up Chapter IV, Book VI of Victor Hugo's novel "Notre-Dame de Paris", "Une larme pour une goutte d'eau" (A tear for a drop of water), which gives the painting its title, while synthesizing several elements of the story.As Quasimodo is bound to the pillory in the Place de Grève, mocked and reviled by the crowd ("A thousand other insults rained down, and hooting, and cursing, and laughter, and stones here and there"), he repeatedly calls for "a drink". Then Esmeralda, accompanied by her goat Djali, breaks through the crowd, climbs the pillory ladder: "Without saying a word, she approached the patient, who was writhing in vain to escape her, and untying a flask from her belt, she gently brought it to the wretch's dry lips. / Then, in that hitherto dry and burnt eye, we saw a large tear roll down slowly along that deformed face, long contracted by despair. It was perhaps the first tear the unfortunate man had ever shed. But the moment illustrated is the following, whose text accompanies the engraving of the first version of the work, published in the Edition nationale des œuvres de Victor Hugo, in 1889: "However, he forgot to drink. The Egyptian pouted impatiently, and smilingly pressed the neck of the bottle to Quasimodo's toothy mouth. He took a long drink. His thirst was ardent." Signature - Bottom left: "Luc Olivier Merson 1903". Inventory number: 203