1842
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
L'épée de Damoclès is a 1842 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
You see a dining table set with plates and cutlery, with a large sword hanging above. The scene shows a moment of tension, with one person looking alarmed and the other gesturing. This contrast between the calm table setting and the threatening sword is what makes this work interesting, as it highlights the artist's use of satire. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique: lithography.
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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