Artwork
La renommée des glaces
La renommée des glaces is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1836 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1836, La renommée des glaces is a hand‑colored lithograph by Honoré Daumier. The print belongs to the artist’s prolific series of satirical images that comment on French society during the July Monarchy and the early Second Republic.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a solitary figure seated at a table, absorbed in a small glass object held in his hand. Dressed in a dark jacket and light‑colored trousers, he leans over an open book, his gaze fixed to the right. The pose and expression suggest intense concentration, inviting viewers to contemplate the individual’s private preoccupation.
Technique & Style
Daumier employed the lithographic process, drawing the image on a stone surface before printing it in black and adding selective color washes by hand. The line work retains the fluid, sketch‑like quality typical of his caricatures, while the modest coloration highlights the focal glass object without overwhelming the overall tonal restraint.
History & Provenance
The print was produced for the popular satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari, venues through which Daumier disseminated his political and social critiques. It circulated widely among readers of the period, reflecting the artist’s engagement with contemporary public discourse.
Context
Emerging amid the aftermath of the 1830 Revolution, the work mirrors Daumier’s republican sympathies and his critical stance toward the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy. The image’s quiet, introspective mood contrasts with the broader turbulence of French politics that would culminate in the fall of the Second Empire in 1870.
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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…
