1839
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Est-il joli!... ce chérubin!... is a 1839 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows an older man and woman leaning over a basket cradling a sleeping baby. The man’s face is lined, his coat loose, while the woman’s head is wrapped in a scarf. Their hands hover near the child, fingers almost touching. The drawing is rough and quick, with loose lines and shading. The title at the bottom—*"Est-il joli!... ce chérubin!"*—means *"Isn’t he cute!... this cherub!"* in French, hinting at the baby’s sweetness. The sketch was made as a quick study, not a polished work. Look up lithography to see how artists like Daumier made prints from smooth stones.
Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.
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