Artwork
Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas...
Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1846 lithograph Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... is a satirical print created for mass‑circulation newspapers. Executed on cheap newsprint, the work was intended for a wide readership and functions as a visual commentary on the social and political climate of mid‑19th‑century France.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a man in an oversized hat and coat, precariously balanced on a rocky ledge with his arms outstretched, while a sheep lies entangled in a net below. The absurd juxtaposition mocks landowners who, according to the title, forget the traps they have set, thereby critiquing the neglect and exploitation of the lower classes.
Technique & Style
Produced by lithography, the print relies on bold, rough lines and a monochrome palette, emphasizing the chaotic, dark atmosphere. Daumier’s exaggerated caricature and loose drawing style heighten the humor while underscoring the underlying social criticism.
History & Provenance
Daumier contributed this image to the satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari, publications known for their anti‑monarchical and anti‑clerical stance. The lithograph’s original distribution on newsprint ensured rapid diffusion among the reading public during the July Monarchy and the early Second Republic.
Context
The print reflects the heightened class tensions of the 1840s, a period when republican ideas challenged the established aristocracy and clergy. Daumier’s republican sympathies inform the work’s pointed mockery of the landed elite, aligning it with a broader tradition of political caricature in French visual culture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
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