The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 20, 2026

A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a river scene with a gray boat in the center. A man and woman with light skin tones sit inside; the woman holds a fishing rod. To the left, a cluster of large green trees lines the bank. To the right, a multi-arched stone bridge spans the water. The lower half features green and gray reflections of the boat and trees. Thick brushwork is visible throughout.

Bridge at Poissy (Pêcheurs à ligne)

1881

Ernest Meissonier

(French, 1815–1891)
France, 19th century
oil on board
Unframed: 33.7 x 56.3 cm (13 1/4 x 22 3/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2022.432
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Renowned British art critic John Ruskin marveled at Meissonier’s ability to paint minute detail after examining his paintings at length with a magnifying glass.

Description

This surprising, naturalist painting by the renowned French academic-realist Ernst Meissonier depicts a man and a woman in small boat on the river Seine at Poissy, a small town about 15 miles northeast of Paris. The fashionably dressed figures, presumably members of the new urban class at leisure, are fishing in the shade of several trees on the bank. The man wears straw hat, his shirt sleeves casually rolled up, while the woman stands in the boat extending her pole over the water.
  • Estate of Muriel Butkin
  • {{cite web|title=Bridge at Poissy (Pêcheurs à ligne)|url=false|author=Ernest Meissonier|year=1881|access-date=20 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.432