La Maison Maudite (The House of the Damned)
1884
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1884
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
La Maison Maudite (The House of the Damned) is a 1884 ink by Félix-Hilaire Buhot, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic street scene with a crumbling building at its center. People are scattered—some running, others slumped or crawling—while a horse lies on the ground. The walls look cracked, and debris fills the air. Around the edges, smaller sketches of faces, animals, and odd shapes float like ghosts. The title *L’En Sorgele* (likely a misspelling of *L’Enfer*, French for "Hell") hints at a dark, symbolic meaning. The artist packed the scene with movement and chaos, using loose, sketchy lines to show panic. Next, check out etching to see how artists like this one carve images into metal plates.
![Gillingham Pier, London [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/641e03dd7de8217b/thumb.webp)