Archimède riant des efforts impuissants que font les Anglais pour mettre à flot le Leviathan, from "Actualités"
Original title: Archimède riant des efforts impuissants que font les Anglais pour mettre à flot le Leviathan, from "Actualités"
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in December 1857 for his series Actualités. It pokes fun at the failed launch of the British giant ship Leviathan. Archimedes appears as a mocking observer of the English fiasco. The caricature was printed lithographically on newsprint.
Description
Archimedes sits in the foreground, wrapped in ancient robes, a telescope in hand, his face amused. Behind him looms a massive body floating on the water, which can be read as the Leviathan. The surface is covered with printed text and numbers, typical of a newspaper page. The sheet remains black and white, with delicate, precise strokes and even lighting that avoids harsh shadows.
Context
Daumier published this lithograph on 5 December 1857 in the Parisian satirical magazine Le Charivari. It was prompted by the repeated failed attempts to launch the British steam giant Leviathan (later Great Eastern) in 1857/58. Because the ship, due to its size and technical difficulties, failed to launch several times, it was mocked internationally. With the figure of Archimedes, Daumier commented ironically on the efforts of British engineers.
Impact
An ironic distance from the event arises, carried by Archimedes' amused and mocking attitude. The combination of ancient figure and contemporary event gives the caricature a timeless, intellectual touch. The fine lithograph demands close looking and conveys the artist's schadenfreude at the British debacle.
Technique
The lithograph was printed on newsprint; the second state of two (Delteil) survives. The drawing shows a precise line, characteristic of Daumier's satirical sheets. Monochrome and without grey tones, it emphasises the clear contours of figures and background.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)