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Plate 12: Mr. de Robert Macaire, restauranteur, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Original title: Plate 12: Mr. de Robert Macaire, restauranteur, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

1838

Medium

Color lithograph on wove paper; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 10 3/16 × 8 7/16 in. (25.8 × 21.4 cm) Sheet: 13 7/16 × 10 1/16 in. (34.1 × 25.5 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier's 1838 lithograph brings three figures together in an interior. The sheet belongs to the 'Caricaturana' series and picks up an episode from the life of the invented swindler Robert Macaire.

Description

On the left stands a figure in a plain shirt and apron, a carrot stalk in hand, beside a table with a bowl. A figure in the middle throws up both arms and gestures wildly. At the right someone in a dark suit, top hat and cane turns away from the viewer. A text panel at the bottom sums up the dialogue.

Context

Daumier used Robert Macaire as a stand-in for fraud and charlatanism under the July Monarchy. The 'Caricaturana' series ran in the satirical journal 'Le Charivari'. This sheet comes from the third edition and was published in 1838.

Impact

The gesturing figure in the middle grabs every glance at once and dominates the picture space. Strong colors and exaggerated postures give the scene a satirical, almost theatrical air.

Technique

Color lithograph on wove paper, third of three states (Delteil). Several printing passes laid down the color, producing intense tones such as red and green.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)