Statue of Henri-IV, Early Spring (First Series)

Statue of Henri IV, Early Spring, 1901, is from Pissarro's series of views of the Pont Neuf and the Seine from the Vert-Galant area at the tip of the Ile de la Cité. The equestrian statue of Henri IV on the Pont Neuf—a Romantic-period recreation of an earlier monument destroyed in the Revolution—provided a monumental architectural element within the river panorama. The 'early spring' specification, like his other meteorological notations, indicates the specific seasonal light conditions he was observing. Museo Soumaya in Mexico City holds this important late urban canvas.

The equestrian statue creates a dark silhouetted form against the lighter sky and river, providing a compositional anchor for the broader river panorama. Pissarro renders the early spring light with delicate, high-keyed tones—the pale greens of budding trees, cool blue sky, and bright Seine reflections.