"I left as the Attorney-General of Moinraux in Paris" from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 3/8 × 7 3/16 in. (26.3 × 18.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.500.592(39)
Art Historical Context
This wood engraving from around 1837–47 belongs to the illustrated book *Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals*, a witty French satire in which animals stand in for human society. The title, “I left as the Attorney-General of Moinraux in Paris,” hints at the series’ playful critique of politics, law, and social ambition, with creatures navigating the same vanities and intrigues as their human counterparts. Honoré de Balzac contributed text, while J. J. Grandville supplied the fantastical drawings that were skillfully translated into wood engravings by Jules Caqué. Grandville’s an...
About the Artist
Honoré de Balzac|Joseph Hippolyte Jules Caqué|J. J. Grandville (French|French) · 1799 |1803 –1850 |1847
French, Tours 1799–1850 Paris|French, Nancy 1803–1847 Vanves