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"We are going to incise the muscles, saw the bones, in a word, heal the sick" from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals

Honoré de Balzac|J. J. Grandville

ca. 1837–47

"We are going to incise the muscles, saw the bones, in a word, heal the sick" from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals by Honoré de Balzac|J. J. Grandville

Medium

Wood engraving

Dimensions

Sheet: 10 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (26.1 × 18.4 cm)

Classification

Prints

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959

Accession Number

59.500.592(25)

Art Historical Context

This witty wood engraving, titled *"We are going to incise the muscles, saw the, in a word, the sick,"* comes from the satirical book *Scenes from the Private and Public of Animals* (ca. 1842), featuring text by literary giant Honoré de Balzac illustrations by visionary caricaturist J.J Grandville. Created during France's July Monarchy, the work exemplifies the era's booming tradition of anthropomorphic satire, where animals mimic human follies to critique society. Here, pompous animal surgeons prepare to "heal" a patient with comically brutal enthusiasm, poking fun at the often gruesome medic...

About the Artist

Honoré de Balzac|J. J. Grandville (French|French) · 1799 |1803 –1850 |1847

French, Tours 1799–1850 Paris|French, Nancy 1803–1847 Vanves

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