1844
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Un coléoptère chinois is a 1844 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
Daumier’s 1844 lithograph shows two men by a window. One wears fancy clothes with bug-like details. The other hides behind the glass, making you wonder what he’s up to. Daumier loved mocking fancy people with sharp humor. This print pokes at how class and odd fashions can look silly. The bug-like outfit isn’t real—just a joke about pretentious style. His work often feels like quick cartoons. If you like his sharp eye, check out Daumier, Honoré.
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.
See the richer artist page
