From Scylla to Charybdis, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, March 20, 1869
March 20, 1869
Medium
Color lithograph on wove paper; third state of three (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 7/16 × 8 5/8 in. (23.9 × 21.9 cm) Sheet: 14 1/8 × 10 3/8 in. (35.8 × 26.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957
Accession Number
57.650.493
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, created *From Scylla toarybdis* as part of the "News of the Day" for *Le Charivari*, a pioneering satirical newspaper. Published on March 20, 1869, during the waning years of Napoleon III's Second Empire, color lithograph captures Daumier's signature blend of sharp social commentary and expressive realism. The title draws from Homer's *Odyssey*, evoking the perilous strait between the monster Scylla and thepool Charybdis metaphor for navigating impossible dilemmas amid France's turbulent politics and social upheavals. Rendered in the...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Destouches|Arnaud de Vresse · 1810–1879
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...