Mr. Vautour: –Je ne saurais trop..., from Locataires et Propriétaires, published in Le Charivari, October 20, 1856
Original title: Mr. Vautour: –Je ne saurais trop..., from Locataires et Propriétaires, published in Le Charivari, October 20, 1856
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph Mr. Vautour: –Ich kann nicht genug... was made on October 20, 1856, as part of the series Locataires et Propriétaires. It shows two figures exchanging words in front of a wall bearing the word CONSCIENCE. This impression is the third and final state according to Delteil.
Description
Two people face each other in an interior: on the left, a gentleman in a suit and top hat, cane in hand, points his index finger at his counterpart. On the right, a more plainly dressed figure in shirt and trousers, whose posture betrays unease. Behind them the word CONSCIENCE stands out on the wall. A caption at the bottom names Mr. Vautour and his utterance. The arrangement feels balanced, the contours are clear, and light and dark are sharply distinguished.
Context
The print was published on October 20, 1856, in the satirical journal Le Charivari. Within the series Locataires et Propriétaires, Daumier took up the tensions between tenants and landlords in nineteenth-century Paris. Behind Mr. Vautour (German for vulture) lies the image of a greedy landlord—the name alludes to his exploitative nature.
Impact
An immediate tension arises between the two figures; the landlord's domineering gesture makes the power imbalance visible. The word CONSCIENCE on the wall ironically calls the moral side of the encounter into question, sharpening the satirical tone of the whole.
Technique
The work is a lithograph, a planographic process in which the drawing is applied to the stone with greasy chalk. It was printed in black on paper; the delicate strokes and hatching are characteristic of Daumier's hand. The dimensions are 25.3 × 33.3 cm (sheet) and 19.5 × 24.5 cm (image area).
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)