Pygmalion, from Histoire Ancienne, published in Le Charivari, December 28, 1842
December 28, 1842
Medium
Lithograph; third state of three (Delteil)
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 3/4 × 8 9/16 in. (29.8 × 21.8 cm) Image: 9 in. × 7 3/8 in. (22.9 × 18.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Weston J. Naef, in honor of Kathleen W. Naef, 1978
Accession Number
1978.656.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *Pygmalion, from Histoire Ancienne*, published the satirical newspaper *Le Charari* on December , 1842, captures the artist's mastery of lithography—a revolutionary 19th-century printing technique that allowed for bold, expressive images to reach wide audiences affordably. Daumier, a prolific French caricaturist and Realist, collaborated with printers Bauger et Cie and Aubert et to produce this third-state impression, measuring about 10 by 8 inches. Featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies the era's vibrant print culture under...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Bauger et Cie|Aubert et Cie · 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...