Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth. “- This really tastes like bad cooking,” plate 142 from Actualités
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.3 × 27.5 cm (8 × 10 7/8 in.); Sheet: 27.5 × 35.7 cm (10 7/8 × 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67092
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, captures the timeless proverb "Too many cooks spoil the broth" this lively 1850 lithograph his *Actualités* series. 142 humorously depicts a chaotic kitchen scene where an overwhelmed cook faces a meddlesome crowd, their exaggerated expressions and gestures poking fun at incompetence and overreach. Created during the turbulent Second French Republic, Daum work often satirized the bourgeoisie and political figures, reflecting the era's social tensions through sharp wit and everyday scenarios. As a lithograph printed in black on white ...
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...