Le Port Saint-Denis

Medium: Oil On Canvas
Size: 32.4 x 45.8 cm (12.8 x 18 in)
Signed: Signed (l.r.): P. Vogler

The scene depicted here is easily identified; it was painted by another notable recorder of Paris street life, Jean Beraud (1849 - 1936). The view is taken from the Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, an extension of the Boulevard de la Poisonnerie past the Porte de Saint-Denis, beyond to the Boulevard de Saint-Martin; and the gate itself lies on the point of intersection between the 2nd and the 10th arrondissements. The Boulevard Saint-Denis is to the left, though out of the picture, and extends north towards Montmartre. This square sits northeast of the Louvre, west of the old market place of les Halles where the Beaubourg now stands.

The lovely triumphal entranceway of Saint-Denis is one of many arcs famously situated around Paris, although the more widely recognizable is the great Arc de Triomphe that dominates the place d’Étoile. The erection of such celebratory entrances or monumental gates dates back to Roman times. The triumphal seems to have taken its origin from the Porta Triumphalis, the gate by which a general, celebrating a triumph, led his army into Rome; the gate into the city was adorned with trophies and other memorials of the particular victory being celebrated. Over time other arches were erected, both in Rome and the provinces, to celebrate single victories, remaining permanent monuments.

The Porte Saint-Denis, and the Porte Saint-Martin, were also built to celebrate military victories, though date earlier in France’s history. Both were commissioned under the reign of Louis XIV and placed in the old walls of the city. There the royal customs officers would regulate commercial traffic in and out of the city and the passage of visitors from the provinces and abroad.