Artwork
La plainte en adultère

La plainte en adultère is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
La plainte en adultère is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, depicting a 19th-century courtroom scene.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows a man standing at a desk, conversing with three judges in formal attire, conveying the gravity of a judicial proceeding. Daumier's work often critiqued the legal system, highlighting its inner workings and biases.
Technique & Style
As a lithograph, the work exemplifies the technique's capacity for mass production, allowing Daumier's commentary to reach a wider audience. The medium enabled detailed renderings of the courtroom scene, capturing the formal atmosphere and character of the figures.
Context
Created during a period when French courts were frequently in the news, Daumier's work reflects the contemporary interest in the judicial system and its operations.
Own this work as a print
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…
















