Le grand eunuque noir allant rendre compte au Sultan..., from Actualités, published in Le Charivari, September 18, 1858
Original title: Le grand eunuque noir allant rendre compte au Sultan..., from Actualités, published in Le Charivari, September 18, 1858
kurzbeschreibung
Published on September 18, 1858, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier appeared as a contribution to the "Actualités" series in the satirical journal Le Charivari. Three figures in oriental dress take the stage, and the caricatural exaggeration sets the tone throughout.
Description
Three figures in traditional garments populate the image: two of them carry weapons, while a third lies stretched out on the ground. The layout feels restless and charged, with postures and expressions deliberately pushed to excess. A flat backdrop suggesting a stretch of water closes off the rear. Black and white governs the whole view, as was usual for lithographs of those years.
Context
In September 1858 Daumier drew the motif for Le Charivari, to which he regularly contributed political and social caricatures. Contemporary fascination with the Orient, fed by travel accounts and colonial politics, formed the backdrop. The artist used such subjects to take aim at structures of power and social hierarchy.
Impact
The overwrought poses and pointed arrangement produce a comic, almost absurd effect. The restrained range of greys directs attention to the figures and their dealings with one another without distracting from what matters.
Technique
The method was lithography: drawing with greasy chalk on the stone, followed by printing. This impression corresponds to the third of three states (Delteil) and was printed on newsprint, a common process for the mass production of journals.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)