Scène d'Hippophagie, from Croquis Dramatiques
Original title: Scêne d'Hippophagie, from Croquis Dramatiques, published in Le Charivari, January 10, 1857
kurzbeschreibung
A man at a table eats a piece of horse meat—this scene is captured by Honoré Daumier in his lithograph 'Scène d'Hippophagie', dated January 10, 1857. The print belongs to the series 'Croquis Dramatiques' and appeared in the satirical magazine Le Charivari. The second of two states (according to Delteil) is present here.
Description
Seated at a table, a man eats from a cut of meat shaped like a horse. At his feet lies a dog, looking up expectantly. A woman approaches with a tray holding a plate and a bottle. A wall decoration with a horse motif completes the layout. Everything is rendered in monochromatic gray tones, with even lighting and no harsh contrasts.
Context
For Le Charivari, a magazine known for political and social caricatures, Daumier drew this lithograph. In the 'Croquis Dramatiques' series, he took up everyday scenes and social quirks of Parisian life. When the print appeared in January 1857, horse meat was being controversially discussed in France as food for the poor. Daumier picked up on this debate and alluded to it humorously.
Impact
The print comes across as humorous and ironic, thanks to its caricatural style and the unusual situation of eating horse. The calm arrangement and many details encourage close looking and decoding of the satirical message.
Technique
The print was made as a lithograph: drawn with greasy chalk on a stone, then printed. Daumier mastered this process and achieved fine gradations in gray tones. As usual with his prints, the second state presumably shows revisions compared to the first.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)