The Board of Censors Moves Out
Medium
Lithograph; only state
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 x 13 9/16 in. (25.4 x 34.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.21.105
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1822, during France's Bourbon Restoration—a period of political tension following Napoleon's defeat—Eugène Delacroix, the rising star of Romanticism, collaborated with printer Motte to create *The Board of Censors Out*. This rare lithograph, the only known state, captures a satirical scene featuring men, donkeys, carts, and devilish figure, gleefully mocking the heavy-handed censorship enforced by royal authorities. Delacroix's wit shines through, using humor to lampoon the censors as foolish or corrupt pack animals hauling away their burdensome regime. Lithography, a revolutionary medium ...
About the Artist
Eugène Delacroix|Charles Motte · 1798–1863
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) stands as the defining figure of French Romanticism and a pivotal bridge to modernism. Born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice near Paris, he came from distinguished lineage—his mother descended from the prestigious Oeben-Riesener furniture dynasty, while persistent speculation suggested the statesman Talleyrand may have been his biological father, a theory supported by physic...