Esquisse pour l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris, escalier des Fêtes : Génies portant des attributs de fête

Luc-Olivier Merson's esquisse for the Hôtel de Ville de Paris staircase depicting 'Génies portant des attributs de fête' (Spirits bearing festive attributes, 1888) is a preparatory study for the decorative program of Paris's rebuilt town hall — one of the most ambitious decorative commissions of the Third Republic. The Hôtel de Ville had been burned by the Commune in 1871 and subsequently rebuilt and decorated with a comprehensive program celebrating republican values and Paris's historical identity. Merson was known for his decorative work combining allegory, medievalism, and a distinctive personal lyricism. The work is in the Petit Palais.

The esquisse establishes the allegorical composition of figures in flight carrying the attributes associated with festivity and celebration — garlands, torches, musical instruments. Merson's characteristic lyrical style is visible even in this preparatory state, with graceful figure drawing and a light, decorative color sense.