Watercolor on board painting, a sketch of the plafond in the Salon des Sciences, Hotel de Ville, Paris, France. The plafond was decorated by Paul-Albert Besnard in 1890. An allegorical composition titled La Verite entrainant les Sciences a sa suite repand sa lumiere sur les hommes, The Truth dragging the Sciences in its wake and shedding its light on men. Illegibly signed by the artist in the lower right. The Hotel de Ville is the city hall of Paris built in the 16th century. Many famous artists were involved in the reconstruction of the building at the end of the 19th century, including Puvis de Chavannes, Louis-Ernest Barrias, Albert Besnard. Paul-Albert Besnard, 1849 to 1934, was a French painter and printmaker, member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts. Collectible Antique Graphic Art, French Academic Painting.