Chevalier..., c'est à vous que je bois!...., from En Carnaval, published in Le Charivari, March 4, 1859
Original title: Chevalier..., c'est à vous que je bois!...., from En Carnaval, published in Le Charivari, March 4, 1859
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier's lithograph 'Chevalier..., auf Sie trinke ich!....' appeared in Le Charivari on March 4, 1859, as part of the series 'En Carnaval'. It pictures two costumed figures raising their glasses to each other across a table.
Description
Two figures face each other at a table and clink glasses. The one on the left, wrapped in an ornately decorated garment, grips a bottle; the opposite figure on the right lifts a glass. Both wear hats, and their sharply exaggerated expressions give the print a boisterous air. At the right edge a third figure is only partly visible, eyes lowered toward the tabletop. The setting stays bare and dark, so the figures stand out clearly.
Context
The sheet was published on March 4, 1859, within the 'En Carnaval' series in the satirical journal Le Charivari. For that paper Daumier produced a great many caricatures, following social life during the Second Empire. This is the second of two states, as the catalogue notes. It was printed on newsprint, the usual support for publication in a daily newspaper.
Impact
The overwrought features and the pompous bearing of the two figures lend the sheet wit and movement. Because the backdrop remains dark and bare, attention settles entirely on how the characters deal with one another, which strengthens the impression of a rowdy carnival scene.
Technique
The image was made as a lithograph on newsprint, a common process for Daumier's satirical prints. It is printed in single-color black and white and belongs to the second of two states, which suggests the plate was reworked. The image area measures 22.7 × 27.3 cm, the sheet 31.6 × 28.9 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)