Rest in peace!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, August 7, 1871
Original title: Rest in peace!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, August 7, 1871
kurzbeschreibung
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph “Ruhe in Frieden!” appeared in Le Charivari on 7 August 1871. It shows a sarcophagus draped with a cloth labelled “AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES”. Above it floats the inscription “POUVOIR TEMPOREL”, and tears fall from on high. The print is a political caricature addressing the loss of the pope’s temporal rule.
Description
A heavy, symmetrical stillness settles over the image, anchored by a sarcophagus at its centre. A cloth covers the tomb, bearing the words “AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES”. Above, in large capitals, “POUVOIR TEMPOREL” seems to weep tears. Candles on stands frame the central motif to left and right, and below one reads “REQUIESCAT IN PACE!”. Black and white, the lithograph relies on strong shadows and sharp contrasts of light.
Context
The lithograph belongs to the political upheavals after the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. By August 1871, the pope’s temporal power was threatened by Italian unification, and France, once his protector, had withdrawn from Rome. Daumier, known for his satirical sheets in Le Charivari, thus commented on the loss of the Papal States. “Affaires étrangères” alludes to the foreign policy that abandoned the pope, while “Pouvoir temporel” denotes the papacy’s worldly rule.
Impact
A sombre, almost elegiac mood emanates from the imagery, heightened by the candles and the dripping tears. The symmetrical arrangement and the monumental form of the sarcophagus make the caricature feel at once solemn and ironic, stressing the tragedy of political decline. Viewers are invited to reflect on the end of an era.
Technique
Lithograph on newsprint, second state of two (Delteil). The lithographic process allowed fine lines and shading, used here for caricatural effect. That newsprint served as the support confirms the print’s role as a mass medium for political satire.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)