Quai des Orfevres

The Quai des Orfevres-literally the gold and silversmiths' quay- was the jewellers' center of 17th and 18th century Paris. Strass, inventor of the synthetic diamond, Boehmer and Bassenge, who fashioned Marie Antoinette's necklace, all had their shops on the Place Dauphine and on the quay. This important original lithograph by Michel Delacroix captures the essence of the historic locale. For many, Delacroix's poetic and nostalgic depictions of Paris are indelibly linked with their own vision of that great city. "Quai des Orfevres" ranks with Michel Delacroix's finest compositions and is surely a cornerstone in his oeuvre of the 1980's.