J'en voilons point d'vot' billet, from "La Comète de 1857"
Original title: J'en voilons point d'vot' billet, from "La Comète de 1857"
kurzbeschreibung
Two men in bourgeois dress are talking over a banknote — that is the subject of Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'J'en veillons point d'vot' billet' from 1857. The black-and-white print belongs to the series 'La Comète de 1857'.
Description
Inside a room two figures face each other. Both wear top hats, jackets and striped stockings. The man on the left holds a purse and gestures with his free hand; the one on the right also holds a purse and looks at his companion. A wooden wall closes off the space behind them. Beneath the scene a text panel carries the line: 'J'en voulons point d'vot' billet......l'échéance est au quinze juin et l'monde finissiont l'treize!'.
Context
Daumier made the lithograph on March 4, 1857, for the series 'La Comète de 1857', which satirised the fear of a comet predicted for that year. He took the occasion to point at social anxieties and how they played out in everyday life.
Impact
The symmetrical layout and the carefully worked figures give the sheet an immediate, insistent presence. Gestures and faces convey a heated discussion, which the text below lends a comic turn.
Technique
The lithograph was printed in black and white; this is the second state of two (Delteil). The technique allowed for fine lines and shading, which served the detailed rendering of the figures and the setting.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)