The New Neapolitan Buffoon. “- Polichinelle, Polichinelle, you have cudgelled the others long enough... now it's your turn. We will bring you to reason...,” plate 221 from Actualités
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 24 × 22.4 cm (9 1/2 × 8 13/16 in.); Sheet: 35.9 × 27.5 cm (14 3/16 × 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84542
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *The New Neapolitanoon*, created in 1855 as 221 from his *Actualités* series, the artist's sharp satirical wit through a lithograph on white wove paper. Daumier, a leading French caricaturist of the 19th century, often used bold, expressive lines to critique society and politics under Napoleon III's Second Empire. Here, the title's reference to Polichinelle mischievous commedia dell'arte character akin to Punch—suggests a mocking commentary on power, with the caption's taunt implying a reversal of fortunes: the bully now faces the cudgel. Lithography was Daumier's preferred m...
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...