A Naval Combat. “- So, you insulted my flag!.... just you wait, just wait till I'll sink you with a broad side!..... or even better I'll splash you with water from left and right and behind and....” plate 20 from Les Canotiers Parisiens
Medium
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.8 × 21.6 cm (9 13/16 × 8 9/16 in.); Sheet: 34.1 × 26.4 cm (13 7/16 × 10 7/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
141923
Art Historical Context
In the bustling satirical world of 19th-century Paris, Honoré Daumier captured the pretensions of the bourgeoisie with sharp wit in his lithograph *A Naval Combat* (1843), plate 20 from the series *Les Caniers Parisiens*. This print depicts a mock "naval battle" among Parisian boating enthusiasts—likely rowers in small canoes—who inflate their leisurely pastime into epic warfare. The bombastic dialogue, "So, you insulted my!... just you wait, till I'll sink you with a broadside!... or even better, I'll splash you with water from left and right and behind," pokes fun at their over-the-top brava...
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...