Ci-devant Occupations; or, Madame Talian and the Empress Josephine Dancing Naked before Barrass in the Winter of 1797. - A Fact!
Original title: Ci-devant Occupations; or, Madame Talian and the Empress Josephine Dancing Naked before Barrass in the Winter of 1797. - A Fact!
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike the usual moralizing prints of those years, this 1805 satirical sheet by James Gillray stages two naked dancing women in the presence of Paul Barras and a soldier. The hand-colored etching takes aim at an alleged historical incident during the Directory.
Description
Two unclothed women whirl through the image with limbs flung wide; one wears her long hair as a headdress, the other a golden diadem. On the left a man in a blue coat and yellow shirt sits on a chair, glass in hand; beside him a table holds a bottle, glass, and papers. On the right a uniformed figure with helmet and weapon looks on in surprise. On the ground in the background a figure wrestles with an animal. A red curtain sets the color mood, and clear contours make the figures stand out.
Context
The caricature draws on rumors of unrestrained parties in the Directory, especially those of Paul Barras. Josephine de Beauharnais, later empress, and Madame Tallien were well-known figures in society at the time. The English caricaturist Gillray used French conditions to discredit the morality of the Revolutionary era.
Impact
The blunt imagery provokes and entertains at once. Nakedness meets watching figures, producing a mix of comedy and scandal that immediately seizes the viewer.
Technique
An etching subsequently colored with watercolors. Bold lines and vivid colors are characteristic of Gillray's printmaking. The sheet has been trimmed; the plate edge remains visible at left and bottom.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)